After bicycles, Paris tries self-service cars

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Readers have asked for an update on the Vélib scheme, which has equipped Paris with thousands of self-service bikes since last July. The almost free bikes are no longer a novelty. They are part of the landscape, already a bit last summer, mon cher. So now, Mayor Bertrand Delanoe has come up with a grander wheeze, which is to be announced for his campaign for re-election in a month or two. This consists of self-service cars that you can pick up and park almost where you want, like the bikes.

First the bikes: The scheme has if anything been too successful. Tomorrow,  just about all 15,000 will be in use as people, many of whom have not pedalled since child-hood, attempt to beat the all-out public transport strike.  On normal days, the parking bays are not enough to cope with the rush of morning commuters, leading to bike rage as people struggle to dock their machines down town near their work. I have given up using them on weekdays because I was spending more time looking for a hitching post than freewheeling downhill to work.

The colder wet weather and a few accidents have not done much to dim the enthusiasm with which Parisians use Vélibs to get to work or wobble home at night when taxis vanish (There are fewer taxis in Paris than before World War Two and most don't work at night). The bikes have been used for eight million trips so far and there will be 20,000 by the end of the year, according to JC Decaux, the company that provides them in return for city advertising space. There has been one death -- a woman in her 50s who was crushed last month when a truck cut her off on the inside of a turn. The bikes now carry warnings to be careful of trucks and three training courses have been opened to help debutants get the hang of la bicyclette (details on www.paris.fr City Hall site).

Delanoe's self-service car scheme, code-named 'ALS' (Automobiles-en-Libre-Service), aims to put an initial 2,000 electric vehicles on the streets in a couple of year's time. It will build on existing hourly-rental car services that already operate with municipal blessing in Paris, and cities and resorts in Europe and the USA. At present about 135 small ordinary cars can be rented by the hour from three Paris firms at 25 locations. They require reservation. "There are already a small number of such cars", Delanoe said recently on television. "The idea is to have thousands of them, freely available, non-polluting." [The picture at top is existing petrol-driven share-car]

Delanoe will seek bids for vehicles that can be picked up with no notice by subscribers with electronic swipe cards, like the Vélib bikes. There will be dozens and eventually hundreds of stations. Drivers may be able to drop them off anywhere, according to one version of the scheme which has been circulating at City Hall. The outlines may become clearer from a day's conference on l'auto-partage (car-sharing) which Delanoe is staging in Paris on Thursday.   

The idea is to complement the Vélib by enabling Parisians to carry passengers and loads on short trips without having to rent or running their own vehicles, says the Mayor. Delanoe's team calculates that one communal-use car replaces five to 10 private vehicles. Only 43 percent of Paris households have cars, five percent of which are on the road at any moment. Roughly half the city's traffic comes from outside. The ALS vehicles -- which may I suspect be more glorified golf cart than car -- appear likely to be more useful for short trips by the city's relatively pampered residents rather than helping out the banlieusards who pile into Paris every day.

The popular mayor wants to make Paris the "Eco-capital of the world" and has promised to cut green-house gas emissions by 30 percent by 2020. His administration has sought to deter drivers by creating congestion with narrower road space, but he has rejected the idea of a congestion charge like London's. Instead, with buses and Metro trains near saturation, he wants to lure people onto bikes and the self-service cars, which will rent for a few euros per hour, depending on kilometres driven.

Delanoe, a Socialist, is almost certainly going to be re-elected in the spring. But even if he is beaten by Françoise de Panafieu, his challenger from President Sarkozy's UMP party, the car scheme will likely survive. Panafieu is proposing an identical system, calling for an initial 2,500 vehicles. We do not yet know who will pay for these schemes. The answer will probably be a barter deal with like Decaux's supply and maintenance of 20,000 free bikes in return for the lease of hundreds of advertising panels.

Delanoe, by the way, gets around Paris in an electric-powered car. He tried to put Bill Clinton on a Vélib last month. Clinton wanted to, but his guards would not let the former president risk his life in Paris traffic. 

Comments

[Edward Johns]

What a brilliant idea! I wonder how electricity for Paris is generated? Nuclear presumably--otherwise there are other pollution issues.

[Frank Schnittger]

How these European socialists must stick in the free marketeer's craw. Not only do they inhibit car buying, petrol consumption, emissions production, individualism and exclusive private property rights, but they promote social responsibility, equality, as well as efficiency, productivity, and convenience. One more (almost) free ride for the cosseted French citizen.

The only practical difficulties I foresee are the provision of sufficient parking/docking stations, the short range of electric vehicles, and the possibility of cars being badly soiled/misused. Some supervision of the Check-in/check-out process may be required, though when I left back my hired car in Spain recently, no one bothered to check it. (Perhaps because they had my credit card details in any case).

Its all an egalitarian socialist plot, of course, interfering with the almost exclusive individual right of the better off to swan about in big cars regardless of whether they are really needed and promoting a socialist, statist, collectivist agenda. It's these Marxists trying to take over the means of production/transportation etc. Soon the truly Stalinist agenda will be revealed: private cars will be banned from some streets.

Oh the horror….

[azloon]

Frank --

are you anticipating a certain american lawyer's response?

if this system pays for itself, it's probably not a terrible idea, if a bit of a 'grandstand' by the mayor.

paris could also encourage/require private electric car use within the most congested areas, thereby avoiding any problems associated with the socialist approach, which you have so sarcastically stated. :)

i would guess this system will ultimately break down over the issue of maintenance, replacement of old/damaged velibs. you usually get what you pay for, and in this case, since it's free, you likely won't get much over the longer term. it's a great headline, but without much staying power, imo.

of course, this doesn't take into account the new labor union of velib maintenance workers (VMW) who will probably sabotage velib use on a regular basis, and retire at age 35.

if it does work longer-term, congrats to the municipal authorities.

[Professor Marcus]

What stops people from stealing the bikes?

[You have to give them your creditcard info for a 150 euro deposit that is withdrawn if the bike is not returned. This still doesnt stop a few dozen from being stolen every week. With cars it will obviously be a much biggere potential deposit CB]

[John Gregory Flinn]

I like the photo of M.Delanoe with his hands firmly clasping the girl's shoulders! Only he could get away with that. (I wonder what red-Ken would say or ...)

The enterprise of some of these professed socialists is quite extraordinary.
However the deposit to deter theft must be more than the 150 euros you quote for 'velibs'.

I knew there would be a flaw in such socialist munificence! The cars will all end up nicked because the deposit cannot be set high
enough to attract use!

[Terry]

CB said:

"I have given up using them on weekdays because I was spending more time looking for a hitching post than freewheeling downhill to work."

I always get a kick out of socialists trying to change mass human behavior. The social engineers always cause unintended consequences trying to create disincentives to alter human conduct. Let's narrow the roads and then provide thousands of Public Cars. Is this a joke? Seems like another bad idea. It's not as easy to park a car as a bike. Will parking be provided? Will the cars be pooling up to?

What is the goal? To lessen traffic? Make the city seem livelier? (that's what someone said about the velibs). Reduce metro ridership? A combination. Are the goals being accomplished? Or is it the idea just sounds nice to everyone.

"The bikes now carry warnings to be careful of trucks."

I would think this would be rather self evident.

[textibule]

Car sharing has existed for the last three years in Brussels et c'est genial!

You have to sign up, take a 2-hour course, are issued your Card, then you can reserve your car by the hour over the internet.

One of the best manifestations of human intelligence I've ever seen.

Details at http://www.cambio.be/

[Joan B]

Delanoe is a great mayor. The bike scheme has been a terrific success, whatever all the complainers are saying. So why shouldn't the car thing work?

[azloon]

[One of the best manifestations of human intelligence I've ever seen.] Textibule on car sharing in bruxelles.

doesn't say much for the species, does it?

[Seb]

Paris should also try the self-service métros. It could be useful on strike days...

[rockinred]

@Terry
" I always get a kick out of socialists trying to change mass human behavior."
As opposed to capitalists trying to exploit mass human behaviour to their own entirely selfish ends, with no regard for the consequences? You really are a joyless sad git. And like most of your ilk, entirely lacking in imagination.

[Ros]

SEB:
Well, the line 14 is already driven by a Robot - that's progress all the same and it'll be thus working today in spite of the strike!

[textibule]

Azloon:

[One of the best manifestations of human intelligence I've ever seen.] Textibule on car sharing in bruxelles.

doesn't say much for the species, does it?

ME:
Don't get me started on that particular subject

[thinknoworpaylater]

I think Rockinred has a point regarding changing/exploiting mass human behaviour. Did anyone see the piece on Google in the Sunday Times Culture Section Nov 11th 2007 by-lined John Arlidge? This is afairly detailed analysis of Googles plans for a vast record ( iGoogle ) of 'every e-mail we have written, every contact we have recorded every picture we have saved, every appointment we have made, every web-site we have visited, every search query we have typed, every ad we have clicked on, everything we have bought on-line, where we are going and where we have been. This could be a bonanza commercially and fantastic for political surveillance, despite Googles protestations of privacy protection. The idea is seemingly good - perfect access for the user, but use is a two-way tunnel. God knows what pressures may be brought to bear in the interests (say) of National Security or economic need. The rules on telephone-tapping are already being eroded. Think what manufacturers could do with these personal profiles.

[azloon]

ME:
Don't get me started on that particular subject (Textible)

me, either

[Frank Schnittger]

"Frank -- are you anticipating a certain american lawyer's response?" - Azloon

No, they are too busy trying to stop people from trying to change mass human behavior. Crime is a real money spinner if you're a lawyer, so why on earth would you support people who want to reduce crime? People, by this logic, have an inalienable right to commit crimes - just as lawyers have the right to profit by this. On this logic lawyers and their criminal clients have identical interests - to create havoc and mayhem - all the time being totally po-faced about the consequences for victims and crying all the way to the bank.

[azloon]

FRANK S--

[Crime is a real money spinner if you're a lawyer, so why on earth would you support people who want to reduce crime?] FS

really, i don't think Terry's objections to free motor bikes and free cars has anything to do with his wanting to preserve high crime rates.

lawyers do have vested intersts, such as preserving class action lawsuits in the u.s., and rigorous tort law (permitting personal injury lawsuits). and, as a group, they vote for democrats because dems block all attempts to water down these laws.

but your associating Terry's arguments with his wanting more crime is a bit of a stretch, bordering on convolution.

Terry is a straight forward guy, and by and large consistent in his arguments (gambling excepted --:), imo.

[Frank Schnittger]

Azloon - to quote Terry: "I always get a kick out of socialists trying to change mass human behaviour. The social engineers always cause unintended consequences trying to create disincentives to alter human conduct."

What is the law and policing if not an attempt to "change mass human behaviour"? What is Marketing, Branding, Religion, Politics if not attempts to change mass human behaviour?

He seems imply that attempts to change mass human behaviour always result in unintended consequences and are an unwarranted interference in the market and the natural order of things (which to him are more or less the same thing).

What he is really saying (in my view) is that it is all very well for the rich and powerful to change mass human behaviour (through control of the media, marketing, political or military power etc.) but woe betide anybody (i.e. socialists) who seek to impose any counterbalancing curbs on the relatively rich and powerful. That is somehow against nature. (Of course it is, nobody likes curbs on their freedom, but only the rich and powerful can successfully avoid them).

But of course he wouldn't say that because to even to hint that the interests of the rich and powerful are not necessarily the same as the relative poor and powerless marks you out as opposed to his agenda and therefore a Marxist.

I don't know him so I can't verify that he is "a straight forward guy". I find his mode of argumentation anything but straightforward , but my real problem is with his politics. It is the sort of politics which led to Vietnam, Iraq and numerous coups against democratically elected regimes which were less than fully supportive of US strategic or commercial interests.. It is why the richest country in the world can't even assure the provision of decent healthcare for a large part of its own population.

America has a very proud and honourable democratic and egalitarian tradition which extended right up the Marshall plan and the enlightened treatment of the losers in WW2. The standard and quality of management in American corporations is often still far superior to the European equivalents. For much of its first 200 years the US was a shining light and example to much of the rest of the world. But since then much of American politics have very badly lost its way (in my view), and a lot of this is due to the simplistic and self interested theories of human nature spouted by its chief ideologues.

I have no difficulty with America (and Americans) acting in their own self interest (France has a somewhat infamous track record in this regard), but enlightened self interest also takes account of other interests in the world. This has never been more important than in the era of nuclear proliferation, globalisation and climate change. Now that the world has moved from a multi-polar and bi-polar, to a uni-polar world, an even greater responsibility devolves onto the sole remaining superpower.

Unfortunately, at the moment, the US is running around like a bull in the china shop and Terry shares an ideological base with the cheerleaders of the havoc that is being created. I doubt he is aware of the implications of his theories on much of the rest of the world and so it is not Terry himself I am attacking – just the ideas and interests he sometimes perhaps unwittingly represents.

I may dislike the way he labels those who disagree with him as Marxists, altruistic idiots, or tree huggers (my terminology) but a lot of that is just because I prefer learning from debate and engaging rather than polarising. What worries me is that it all reminds me of Bush’s almost complete inability to relate to and engage with foreign leaders – something which would be laughable if it weren’t so serious.

End of rant!

[azloon]

Frank --

what you're 'ranting' about is much more coherent and relevant that saying Terry supports crime because he is a lawyer, imo.

you may not have noticed that i have taken issue with Terry's politics on more than one occasion. i believe the arch conservative agenda, which i imagine Terry supports, is dangerous and isolationist.

but i wouldn't excessively idealize 'past versions' of the u.s. as you seem to want to do. the mid-20th century may have been our country's 'high water mark,' at least up to the present. prior to that, we were guilty of some pretty shabby behavior both within and ourside our borders. since then, it's been pretty much a mixed bag with Bush being the 'low water' mark, imo.

i basically believe in 'reversion to the mean,' a statistical concept which i believe applies to politics. and that suggests there will an improvement in american behavior post-bush. i regret we didn't have a president in office at 9/11 who would have used the world's empathy to forge closer ties. but a nation gets what it deserves, so we apparently deserved bush. now, we realize the big mistake we made, and i think i rebound impulse will be to try to make up for past sins.

don't underestimate the trauma of 9/11. i was four years old in 1945 and remember slightly (very) the trauma of pearl harbor and ww2. nothing similar happened in this country, including vietnam, to equal the sudden trauma of 9/11. americans became a little nutso in its aftermath, and i can understand and appreciate this. many people you might consider reasonable americans, not cut from the same cloth as Terry, supported everything we did during those days.

JMNSHO.

[Valentin]

LOL Really, Frank ! :)
Maggie G's right, il est méconnaissable... sOmething must've happened down there... catholic neocons winning in Ireland?
KIDDING !

[Lily]

Terry,

how are you, - listening to Frank and Azloon analysing your 'case'?

Oh là là!

[Frank Schnittger]

Azloon - I don't disagree with you all that much - but would make two comments. Your Hegelian positing that a thesis and antithesis always leads to a middle of the road synthesis or mean is not always born out by history.

Sometimes things just keep getting worse and worse until there is a dramatic external intervention. Think of the Jews in Germany in the 1930's who always seemed to believe things could get no worse and that a more humanistic and commonsense policy would soon prevail. There is no a priori historical “mean”. We create a new one every time we shift policy in a particular direction. Yes there will be a reaction to Bush and Clinton will probably be elected. But she will govern in a changed world and her rule may bear little comparison to her husband’s.

Secondly, whilst the outside world really sympathised with the US over 9/11 and recognised the echoes of Pearl Harbour etc., it couldn’t get over how immature the US response seemed to be. 3000 dead hardly compares to the millions killed in many genocides, famines, civil wars, plagues and invasions suffered by other nations. The US regularly created proportionately greater casualties with one bombing raid over Vietnam or one coup in Guatemala, Chile, or Nicaragua. It seemed that a Million Rwandans didn’t matter as much as one American.

That is not to say 9/11 wasn’t an awful tragedy to be condemned utterly. The invasion of Afghanistan seemed a reasonable and proportionate response. But Iraq? There were greater 9/11 connections with Saudi Arabia, Germany or the Bush family business contacts!

That is why many people feel the US is utterly insensitive to the effects of its acts on others, and hypersensitive to any actions which effect itself. We live in an interconnected world where what goes around often comes around. It’s all very well for Cheney/Rumsfeld et al to make personal fortunes out of Iraq (hey it’s a free country!), but it is the families of relatively poor American Servicemen and the Iraqi people who pay the price

[Frank Schnittger]

Nah Valentin. Just a quiet day at the office, and, you may not have noticed, but I occasionally like to argue - with myself if no one else wants to join in.

The Catholic neo-cons now have about as much influence as Ian Paisley in the south. In fact he is probably getting a better press down here, a fact which must be driving him crazy...

Anyway, I'm going to stop arguing now. Things are getting busy again. Its such a strain having to change the world every day...

[:terry]

Rocking Red:

"As opposed to capitalists trying to exploit mass human behaviour to their own entirely selfish ends, with no regard for the consequences?"

Capitalists do not exploit mass behavior. They merely provide people with things they want. Such as the computer you are on. It is a voluntary system, Red. You need things like computers, cars, bicycles whatever, and they provide to you. It's a voluntary system, you dont have to purchase things if you dont want to. Also, capitalists provide jobs so you can have money to buy things. That is, unless, you can make your own computer.

[Paul B]

No Terry, what you describe is not a capitalist, it's an entrepreneur. The capitalist is the guy who buy the factory made 10 years ago by the entrepreneur, tries to squeeze it for a 25% margin for a few years, then fires everyone, and make a huge profit selling the pieces to the competitors and the licensing to china.

[Terry]

Paul B:

You need to check your definition of a capitalist.

It's funny that capitalist societies didnt have to build walls to keep people in. Socialist societies such as the S.U., China, Cambodia, Vietnam, North Korea-that's where the worker is exploited all in the name of the "public good". Is that the system you adhere to Paul? Socialism.

[Terry]

Frank:

"Crime is a real money spinner if you're a lawyer, so why on earth would you support people who want to reduce crime? People, by this logic, have an inalienable right to commit crimes -"

It is indeed very difficult to "reduce" crime or even prevent it. If we wanted to, we could enforce mandatory curfews for all adults after 7:00. Instead, we punish criminals AFTER they have committed their crimes. Sometimes, that works as a deterrent for some, but not nearly all. You can pass all the laws you want and hire all the cops you want, it doesnt necessarily mean that people will follow the law.

[Terry]

Frank:

"What is Marketing, Branding, Religion, Politics if not attempts to change mass human behaviour?"

The difference is that no one forces you to by an advertised product. No one forces you to be catholic or jewish. They may use persuasion. But in the end, each individual makes a voluntary choice. The socialism you adhere to imposes its agenda on everyone. Usually, that agenda is devoid of any acceptance of human nature.

The velibs and the cars seem to be a perfect example. Paris narrowed the streets creating more traffic. The idea seem to be to force people driving cars to use bicycles. Except, the people actually driving cars in Paris on work days probably come from outside the city. So, you have people who may have been using the metro now using bikes. Charles dropped use them because they pool up at locations and often get cant one. Valentin can't find an open booth to park. Paris actually paid money to put warning decals on bikes warning people to watch for trucks. Trucks are dangerous. Non m--de? Now, Paris has narrowed the streets and they are going to infest Paris with MORE cars. This all sounds like a lot of nonsense and wasted effort to me. Only a socialist could dream up such silly ideas.

And while we are on this topic of rich verse poor. Who benefited from the bikes and the cars? Could it be the more affluent city dwellers? Did they do anything to help the poor in the banlieus with their commute? Was the opera house for the poor? So much for socialism helping the poor and curbing the rich and powerful.

What socialism is really about is self-professed intellectuals who cant produce anything but their opinion trying to obtain power over those who actually create things and provide jobs. It is really because they feel inept, not to help poor people.

[Terry]

What is it May Day here? Socialists to the left of me. Socialists to the right of me. Socialists in front of me. Into the mouth of Hell, rode Terry. (on second thought, perhaps that's a poor analogy)

All the guys commenting must be socialist strikers with some free time off.

[Terry]

Lily:

"Terry,

how are you, - listening to Frank and Azloon analysing your 'case'?

Oh là là!"

All the comments have been fun. It's actually very amusing to me. I really do love red baiting, although Azloon is more what we call a blue dog democrat (conservative democrat-not socialist). Socialists are always very angry people, self righteous. GRRRRRR! "Evil capitalists are stomping on the poor". "Individuals are too stupid and powerless to make their own choices. They need.....ME to decide for them". It seems that some here want to switch capitalist exploitation of the worker that only benefits a owner and the employee to socialist exploitation of the worker so that the lefties can derive some benefit too. I tend to have faith in all individuals, rich and poor to make their own decisions. Socialism is based on the exact opposite premise. That's why it's always Socialist governments like Stalin, Mao, Hitler (there ya go, Maggie), Pol Pot, Ho Chi Mihn, Castro (one of the richest men on the planet) that impose their socialist views by the gun.

[Maggie G]

If there's a problem with bikes pooling up at certain locations during rush hour, why don't they hire a bunch of young people to be constantly riding them back to the emptier locations?

(Hi Terry! I saw it!!)

[Frank Schnittger]

What is really amusing is that you think I am a socialist - but then when you are to the right of Hitler everyone else must look leftwing.

No one forces you to use a Velib either but the law is enforced as is the "free market system" now being enforced on Iraq by the American occupation - which will end up with American Companies "owning" all the Iraqi Oil and the Iraqi people paying the US for the privilege of being killed by them - or by the free market contractors who are not even bound by a military code of ethics.

Persuasion is great when it works, but there is nothing like having plenty of military hardware as back-up to help in the "persuasion" process.

[Valentin]

"why don't they hire a bunch of young people to be constantly riding them back to the emptier locations"

They carry them with a sort of small trucks, but it doesn't seem to suffice.
This morning I had a different kind of surprise: three bikes I took, and all of them were malfunctioning. Without mentioning a dozen more whose wheels were, you know, not filled with air! :)) (can't find the english word)
I had to walk a couple of kilometers looking for a good bike, so I got at work about 11 hrs.

Other than that, Paris is a beautiful city, luckily ! :)

[Maggie G]

flat -- the tires were flat.

[Lily]

"so I got at work about 11 hrs. " (Val)

Do you mean AFTER about 11 hrs?!

I was sitting around the lunch table today with people from San Diego (originally from Mexico City) who had been to Paris yesterday. They had had "no" problem in Paris, walked a lot and enjoyed the city.

BTW: I think you took bikes with flat tyres (how do you spell tyre? not sure) - Anglo-Saxons are always there to help out... - lol

[Valentin]

THANK YOU !

[Terry]

Frank:

"What is really amusing is that you think I am a socialist - but then when you are to the right of Hitler everyone else must look leftwing."

I dont know where you stand. Perhaps, you can tell us. Not too many conservatives preach Marx. Valentin, Robert have yet to write about the sensitive side of Marx. I have yet to hear Rocket say "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need". The Marx quote itself sums up Marxism quite nicely. "We will take as much from others, especially if they produce more, and give it to others." In the United States, we call it larceny.

Velibs are voluntary. But Paris narrowed the roads to force traffic onto bikes. That's not so voluntary for them. Now that Paris has narrowed the roads, they are going to put thousands of more cars on the streets. That makes perfect sense in Fredonia.

[Terry]

Maggie:

(Hi Terry! I saw it!!)

Saw what?

P.S. About your suggestion to pay kids to move them around, months ago I said I would laugh if they actually start using motor trucks to move the bikes to even their distribution about town. That would be the ultimate silliness. You wait, it's coming.

[Valentin]

Terry,
apparently you haven't read my posts on citybikes.
They ARE distributing the bikes around by trucks ALREADY !

[Lily]

"They carry them with a sort of small trucks, but it doesn't seem to suffice." (Val)

"months ago I said I would laugh if they actually start using motor trucks to move the bikes to even their distribution about town. That would be the ultimate silliness. You wait, it's coming." (Terry)

Terry,

It's already there!! - -

[Valentin]

Oh btw, to finish the bike series:
tonight - no more bikes! I could not even find ONE working. Maybe everybody else had the idea and all the good ones were taken... (reminds me of a friend saying that lol)
anyway, must be good for the health, 6 km walking !...

[Terry]

Valentin & Lily:

Must have missed your comment.

ahaahahaha. Just as I predicted months ago. The whole idea was to stop pollution and reduce vehicles. Now they are burning truck gas to move bicycles back and forth.

Oh, someone get me out of my mirth.

[Valentin]

"Now they are burning truck gas to move bicycles back and forth"

I didn't look, but it must be electrical trucks ! :)

[Lily]

Hi Valentin!

You wrote that remark about the electric trucks at 08:30. Was that before your 6 km march to work or after? - (LOL)

Any bikes left today?

Bike shop owners will be happy now because many will want to have their OWN bike and not rely on public misery.

[Valentin]

Just before ! :)
Took my own bike today. A WORLD of difference: it works, tires rock hard, speed changer moves like a wonder (and you can even feel the difference!). Plus it weights about half a velib.

Hopefully no one will steal it from the light pillar I locked it on.

[Lily]

"Hopefully no one will steal it from the light pillar I locked it on." (Val)

That had been my second thought: Instead of selling Eiffel Towers to tourists, bike padlocks and other accessories might work well this week.

[Valentin]

"bike padlocks and other accessories might work well this week"

ah here it is rearing its head again, the anglosaxon drive for pragmatism and profit. Arrrgh! :))

[Lily]

"ah here it is rearing its head again, the anglosaxon drive for pragmatism and profit. Arrrgh! :))" (Val)

The blog is very stimulating..., but I'm more into ideas than implementation.

As a matter of fact, I should sell my ideas!

[Valentin]

Why, we had no idea we've this kind of effect on you ! :)

Thinking again, had you not declared yourself German, I would have sworn I'm dealing with a Dutch here lol

[aDM]

They have a similar scheme in London already (a year old) except is is a private firm and not state run. It's called streetcar.co.uk. £5 an hour