The Vélib hits Oz - but where are they?

The phenomenon that is Paris’ much-lauded bicycle-share scheme has arrived – but are there enough bikes to create change, wonders Anthony Tan?

In December last year, I wrote a blog titled 'The Vélib in Oz? Why not?' and discussed the notion of whether Paris' successful bike-share program would work in Australia.

"But," I cautioned, "with cycling-related accidents and fatalities also on the rise in countries like Australia and the US, we must first build the appropriate infrastructure to accommodate the Vélib or cycle-friendly pathways, particularly in Sydney."

For those lucky Melbournians, as of a fortnight ago, infrastructure and initiative have melded.

So far in cycle-friendly Melbourne, there are 10 Vélib-style stations in the city centre and 100 bicycles available for short-term hire, designed for trips lasting no longer than 30 minutes. A paltry $50 will allow you to rent the bikes for a year.

By August 500 more bikes will be available and in September, Brisbane will kick off its scheme.

Sydneysiders will have to wait a little longer. Said Lord Mayor Clover Moore rather pragmatically (and sensibly): "We are committed to a cycle-hire system for Sydney following construction of our 200-kilometre cycle network, which is under construction."

The ABC this week aired a documentary on the V̩lib, which, for those of you who are unaware, stems from the French words v̩lo Рmeaning bike Рand libert̩ Рfreedom.

Paris' bicycle-hire scheme was by no means the first of its kind but notably, before the Vélib program was introduced, town planners studied the mistakes of previous systems and tailored theirs for the still vehicle-ridden city.

The V̩lib planners said a minimum 10,000 bicycles was required to achieve cut-through to begin with (that figure has now more than doubled), which makes me question whether the Melbourne program, with relatively far fewer bikes, will be as successful Рor a success at all.

"The primary effect of the Vélib is to acknowledge the place of the bicycle in the city," said one of its founders.

100 – or even 600 – extra bikes in a major capital are unlikely to do that.

Interestingly, one of the unexpected benefits of the Vélib in Paris is that since its introduction, the largest increase in cycle trips to work has come not from the hire bikes themselves, but people using their own bikes.

And among the rather cold Parisian crowd, the Vélib has encouraged communication with blogs and people using the stations as pick-up joints. No harm in that. Far healthier than going to a pub, getting plastered and beer-goggled and foul of breath, trying to hit on some unsuspecting stranger.

Realistically, the Vélib, even if adopted in every major city around the world, will do little to curb global warming.

But as its chief architect said, it is an awareness-raising instrument for ecology, and over time, may just change the intransigent mind of the motorist.