There is no doubt that with enough hard and smart work you will be able to figure out how to make a great city bike program on your own. But here is a chance to look over the shoulders of three important projects which you may find useful. The "original" Lyon project (2005 start-up), Paris's Velib (2007), and the project in planning for Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics. This in addition to what you have in the public information portions of this site and of course the World City Bike Forum which you will see on the top menu just above.

As you will see there is an important cumulative learning process going on here. It is very userful for planners to have a deep look to see how this works. You can then profit from this experience and put it to work in your city.

Let's have a look, but at the same time we would ask you to bear in mind that these projects and the information we place on this site are in constant evolution. So even if the internal presentation here is a bit chaotic, you will nonetheless find valuable materials and insights, if nothing else simply by clicking down the left menus under these two headings from top to bottom. You'll see.

Lyon Vélo'V

18 September 2008: A major update and extension of this part of our shared database is presently in process. Check back in May for findings and references.

Back to top

The Paris project

The Paris Vélib' project is a particularly instructive example and worthy of close attention, first because it is not only the world's biggest (and most Parisians and certainly the suppliers, the JCDecaux group would say is a world best), but also because of the manner in which it has been planned, implemented and now operated.

This is a dynamic process and the entire project was pulled together in record time. Check it out here, via the many references, sites and sources you can reach through the links you will find here. It will get you off to a good start to understanding the project and its performance. (Along with further discussions under the World Bike Forum (click top menu to access).

Of course you can always come to Paris, and if you do stop by and we can tour the system together. But no less important, it's not just all those bikes rambling around d on the streets. It's the way that the Paris team is putting this all together as part of a much greater package and challenge: the Greening of Transport in Paris. Read on and you will see.

Back to top

The Vancouver study

TransLink is currently investigating the feasibility of installing a self-serve automated public bicycle system within Metro Vancouver.

Self-serve public bicycle systems, such as Paris' hugely successful new "Vélib," provide fast and easy access to bicycles via smart card or credit card activated kiosks located at regular intervals across an urban area. Since one-way trips are possible, the bicycles can be used for daily mobility needs. As a result, once the network is extensive enough, public bicycles become an integral component of the wider public transportation system.

Since the first smart-card-based automated public bicycle system was introduced in Rennes, France in 2001 with 250 bicycles at 25 docking stations, at least 50 more cities have implemented similar systems. Both the scale and the success rates of public bicycle systems have been increasing dramatically ever since, with Paris unveiling the most ambitious system to date with 20,600 bicycles at 1450 docking stations and Beijing promising a system of over 50,000 bicycles before summer 2008. The concept is now spreading to North America with the cities of Montreal, San Francisco, Portland and Chicago considering their own systems.

Although public bicycle systems have been successful in Europe, they are new to North America with no large-scale systems yet in place. Furthermore, these systems present technological, administrative, financing, and legal challenges that might be addressed in a variety of ways. TransLink is undertaking a feasibility study and working with our municipal partners to conduct a thorough investigation of the options. The study will help determine whether to move forward with implementation of a public bicycle system in Metro Vancouver and which administrative and financing models to pursue if the decision is made to proceed. Stay tuned for opportunities to provide input!

Back to top

---

Site optimized for browsing with Explorer 6+ and best viewed with resolution of 1024 x 768
The Commons has welcomed international visitors since 3 July 1995.
Europe: 8/10 rue Joseph Bara 75006 Paris, France, Europe. T: +331 4326 1323
USA : 9440 Readcrest Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90210. T: +1 310 601-8468
Copyright © 1994-2008 The Commons ® Last updated on 18 April 2008