In order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Vélib’ in Paris, the mayor of the capital, Anne Hidalgo, declared 2017 as the “year for bikes”. While the contract between the French society JCDecaux and the Paris City Hall comes to an end this year, a bidding process was launched in February 2017 to promote the “Vélib’2”, to keep developing the network, to preserve it and to provide it with electrical, even connected bikes.

More Vélib’ in the close suburbs of Paris
Extend the access to the close suburbs: here is one of the goals voiced by the Paris City Hall. Among the towns in question, there are those of Saint-Ouen (93rd French department), Saint-Denis (93), Aubervilliers (93), Vincennes (94), Montrouge (92), Arcueil (94), as well as Puteaux (92) and Levallois-Perret (92). Even though some of those towns already set up stations of Vélib', the point is to be able to reinforce this transport mode and to answer to the increasing demand of the users on site. Indeed, 75 Vélib’ are borrowed every minute! In this way, to really lower the number of cars driving inside Paris, the Vélib’ decided to extend. Although the final project isn’t fixed yet, the Paris City Hall ensures that the fleet of bicycles will be made of electric bikes up to 30%. The idea of developing a network of connected and smart bikes is not excluded.

© Marie de Paris

A better regulated network thanks to Vélib’2
After announcing the construction of a bidirectional bicycle path on the rue de Rivoli last February, the desire to transform Paris into a green city also goes with the reinforcement of the Vélib’2 network. With on one side the cost of vandalism for the municipality and on the other the bad regulation of some current stations, the improvements wanted for the Vélib’2 aim to better manage the network as a whole. “Smart” bikes, with a built-in GPS, would help to better locate the stolen and vandalized bikes. At last, to help better balance the stations, which can be overcrowded or on the opposite, which can cruelly lack of bikes for some times, the Paris City Hall is studying several offers concerning an evolution or an adjustment of the Vélib’2 terminals.

For further information, please visit the Internet website Velib.paris.fr

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