mercredi, août 12, 2009

Using a bicycle in Paris...

Paris has 6 003 streets, for a total length of 1700 km. Out of that, 400km dedicated cycling tracks have been created since 2002, 200 more km will be created by 2013.

People using a bicycle in Paris represent now close to 2% of the global traffic. That means you have something like 40 000 person riding a bicycle every day. This is probably due to the Velib system (http://www.en.velib.paris.fr/) : you can pick a bike in one of the 1200 stations, there are more than 16 000 bicycles available.

How much does it cost ? 1 euro, and you can use the bicycle of half an hour. The ticket is still valid for 24 more hours, but you have to pick a new bicycle every 30 minutes. Considering that most of the trip will take you less than half an hour in Paris, that's enough (Paris is 13km x 7km wide, but don't expect to cross all Paris on those bikes in less than half an hour !)

Last year, those bicycles have been used 26 000 000 times !

I'm using a bicycle in Paris since 1991, and I must say that things have changed a lot since then. I never felt in danger, but I'm used to ride my bike now, even if I'm going fast (probably more than 30 Km/h, when I'm not stopped by a red light).

The rules are simple, if you want to have a safe ride :
  • Stop at every red light. Car drivers can see you, as you are on the first line.
  • Keep your right
  • Never stay close to the parked cars : someone can open a door, you'll be surprised how bad can be the contact... So riding with one meter marhin on the right is just finewear an helmet. Your skull is not that solid...
  • Wear some gloves. If you fell down, your hands will probably hit the ground first. That will save you bad injuries.
  • Have a horn, pedestrians are crossing the streets without watching out for bicycle, they rely on the absence of noise as a signal that they can cross the street safely...
  • Before changing of direction, check behind to see if a car, truck, motorcycle or another bicycle is not in your way.
  • Try as much as you can to stay on the dedicated tracks.

  • I may cumulate something like 2000 kms a year in Paris, day and night, and I must say it's quite a pleasant way to move from one place to another, assuming you have a safe place to store your bicycle.

    1 commentaire:

    Ashish a dit…

    This is interesting :-) Wish to visit Paris and drive one myself.