Give Me Velolib or Give Me Traffic Congestion

On a recent weekend in Paris I was able to observe the latest advance in urban planning taking shape on the streets of the City of Light. Virtually overnight the city was dotted with Velolib stations where people could walk up, swipe a credit card and ride off on a bike you can conveniently park at one of the hundreds of other stations across the city. The bike is clunky and not very cool looking, but the cost is minimal, starting at less than $1.50 and going up depending how long you keep it. The city has been preparing itself for years, shaping bike and bus lanes on the sidewalks and streets in anticipation of the day, fittingly July 14th, France's Independence Day, when the velos made their debut.

Taxi drivers, predictably, make fun of the newbees pedaling along and tourists, their heads lost in maps trying to figure out which way to walk, now need to watch out, lest they find themselves on the wrong end of a swarm of bikes rapidly coming upon them. Cynics say that come February, stolen bikes will make their way to the suburbs and locals will opt out, but in the meantime it's kind of fun. Come Paris Fashion Week, watch the editors rushing to grab one as they make their way from show to show.