It's nice to see that some cities are finding ways for all citizens to positively affect the climate. I was in Amsterdam last year and wa amazed to see the prevalence of bicyclists-- almost all the roads have bike lanes, and its fairly common for people to bike to work everyday. The only time i've seen a similar phenomenon in New York was during the transit strikes, and most people adjusted, albeit kicking and screaming on the way.
Paris has just announced a plan to provide free bicycles for just about anyone to borrow in Paris. The program will be administered by JCDecaux SA, a French outdoor advertising firm, and will have around 14,100 bikes available around the city by the beginning of the summer. Commuters, tourists, and anyone else will be able to borrow a bike (for free!) from one of 1,451 stations with the swipe of a card, and return it after use to any other station.
The same company is in charge of a similar program in the City of Lyon, which authorities claim has been very popular and effective in reducing motor transportation.
This is a feasible project for many cities and towns in the United States, and we will hopefully follow suit soon. Clearly bicycles are far from the end all solution to all our problems, but it is a personal contribution that everyone is capable of doing. It may be tough to give up the warmth and luxury of a car, but think about the dollars you'd save in gas. Furthermore, 20-40 minutes of biking wach day might just add a couple years to your life, or at least help to take off a few pounds! If I wenre't terrified of the crazy cab drivers zooming around New York, I'd bring my old magenta Huffy into the City... right now i'm waiting for more bike lanes. It could take a while. In the meantime, I guess I have another excuse to go back to Paris or Amsterdam.
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