Paris traffic taming

Vélib'!

Tara Mulholland reports in The International Herald Tribune, 30 September 2007:

The successful debut this summer of the Vélib' - the name given to the city's rental bike program, a fusing of the words "vélo" (bike) and "liberté" (freedom) - seems to indicate the bicycle is ready to reclaim its position as a style icon, with admirers recalling a golden age of cycling epitomized by the bicycle scenes in "Jules et Jim," François Truffaut's 1962 film. More than 20,000 Vélib's are scheduled to fill the capital by the end of the year.

Another sign of Vélib's popularity is that it brought out our Bike Mayor onto the boulevards during his recent trip to Paris. Although he's well known for his pro-bike views, there are no other photos of him rolling about ... not Chicago, just Paris.