Paris
Paris has installed more than 10,000 bicycles for public use across the city. The service is called Vélib, a word made up by blending vélo (bike) and liberté (liberty). Residents and tourists alike can purchase cheap passes that allow free use of a bicycle for a half-hour; consecutive half-hours cost 1 euro (about $1.35) each. The pay structure is intended to keep the bikes in rotation—you can pick one up at one station, ride across town, and drop it off at another station. The program is the latest effort by Socialist Mayor Bertrand Delanoe to make Paris greener. Delanoe has angered some drivers by replacing car lanes with bike paths on major routes.
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