The Park and Pedal" program has come to Paris. Motorists arriving at two of the citys main car parking areas, the Forum des Halles and Denfert Rochereau, can now continue their journey on rented bicycles.
The service is run by Maison Roue Libre (Freewheel House), part of the city's public transportation system, Regie Autonome des Transports Parisiens. Bicycle rental fees are 16 francs (about $2.30) an hour or 60 francs (about $10) for a whole day, and the bikes come with maps showing the city's 80 miles of cycle lanes.
The new initiative joins the RATP "cyclo-bus," a bike program designed specifically for visitors to Paris. This program operates from March to September, offering rental bikes and guided bike tours from four tourist locations around the city.
RATP said the Purpose Of these programs is "to give bikes the importance they deserve in improving the quality of urban living and protecting the environment."
"Starting in March and continuing through November, all motorized traffic will be banned every Sunday along the banks of the Seine, allowing even more freedom for bicyclists in Paris. The car-free zone will extend from the Eiffel Tower to Quai Voltaire on the Left Bank, and from place de la Concorde to the Bastille on the right.
Interest in bicycling may date to the Paris transit strike of 1995. Forced to find other means of getting around, Parisians rediscovered the pleasures of cycling, roller skating, and walking.
The citys mayor launched a plan to develop 150 kilometers of paths. So far, a 60-mile network has been put in place, with another 12 miles to be added this year and a proposal being studied to encircle all 20 urban districts, or arrondissements, with a cycling path. The city also has installed more than 9,500 parking spots for bike, around Paris.
Meanwhile, more than 2,300 free bikes are now available in the city center of Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark and a leader in the "bikes for locals and visitors" initiative. The city-sponsored enterprise was started in 1994 and is run by a volunteer group with advertising revenues from major local companies. A deposit is charged for each bike and returned when the bike is returned to one of the collection points in the downtown area.
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