The city of London is taking a tip from the Parisians and will begin an urban bicycle rental program using 6,000 bicycles in the summer of 2010.
The bike rental plan is just one part of $1 billion that London Mayor Ken Livingstone wants to invest in bicycling in order to cut 60% of carbon emissions in the city by 2025.
The bikes being considered won't be stylish. They're described as “grannyish,” with heavy frames, front baskets and mudguards. Said one advocate: “We want to encourage the view of bicycles as a tool rather than a fashion accessory.”
Velib
The London bike rental program would be similar to Vélib in Paris, where some 20,000 bicycles are available for free or rent depending on how long they're used.
The bikes in the Paris program are stored at 750 self-service bike kiosks around the city that carry advertising, which pays for the program and the limited free use. London doesn't want to go the advertising route, so the program would be subsidized by taxes and users fees.
Livingstone said the bikes would be available at self-service racks around the subway stations. They'd buy more bikes if the program gains popularity.
Commuting
Livingstone also wants to create bicycle commuter routes from the suburbs to increase daily cycle trips in London from 480,000 to 1.7 million by 2025. TheTimesOnline reported that borough officials who control those roads might not willingly go along with the mayor's wishes, however.
Paris isn't the only European city to rent bikes. There are also smaller programs in Barcelona, Lyon (pictured at top), and Rennes.
There was talk last summer of the possibility of a pilot bike rental program in Washington DC using the Clear Channel Adshel Smart Bike kiosks. The DC bike share program will launch with just 120 bicycles at 10 stations around town.
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