How Happy Are Parisians With Vélib?
By
Brad Aaron
3:39 PM EDT on May 8, 2008

The latest figures from the Paris Vélib bike sharing program are in. User stats and survey results are posted on the official web site, but for those who don’t parlez Français, here’s a summary:
- Rides to date: 20 million
- Average trips/day: 70,000
- Average trip time: 18 minutes
- 190,000 annual pass holders
- 42% of users are females
- 1/3 of users come from outside the central city
- 17% of users are more than 46 years old
- 94% of users like it (of which 20% like it a lot)
- 46% are satisfied with stations (available bikes, parking slots)
Vélib-style bike rentals come to the U.S. this month in Washington, D.C.
After the jump, for you French speakers, Parisians talk about the program — one of many ways the city is beating traffic.
Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.
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