Two-wheeled Paris Bashny.Net

On the French capital has not only lazy. There and the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower and the Pompidou Center. And yet the Champs Elysees, the loaves grow on trees, and the morning begins with a wine and croissants. Well, something like this. I almost did not lied.

Clearly, to describe the sights I'm not going, so that's enough of introductory words - immediately turn to bicycles.




























I do not know how it happened, but Paris does not look like a metropolis that is choking on exhaust and gags stuck in traffic cars. There are many bike paths that run along the right edge of the roads. It is often combined with a bike path separate lanes for public transport, ie on it can go only cyclists and buses (sometimes taxis).







Motorists to two-wheeled neighbors careful and behave very politely - with his own eyes saw my grandmother put her hand on the bike to turn left and crossed two or three lanes, never turning back, because I was sure that the car will miss her. As you might imagine, it is exactly what happened. And no one even thought to her signals. In addition, there is a nice and handy thing: at traffic lights between the stop line for cars and pedestrian crossings have a designated place for cyclists! Those. at a red light in front of cars lined up cyclists. Thus, when the lights green, the priority to start the movement and turning where you want to have a bicycle instead of the car.



Cyclists in Paris less than in the notorious Amsterdam, but nevertheless, the trend is positive. This contributes not only to the infrastructure, creating favorable conditions for the movement on two-wheeled transport, but also relatively recently introduced system of rolled called Vélib '("vélo libre" or "vélo liberté", in translation free bicycle or velosvoboda).



The scheme is not very complicated: throughout the city have installed stations with bicycles.





Any Parisian can buy an annual subscription (it costs about 30 euros), which gives the right to take the bike to a parking lot here and totally free to move on it for half an hour. Then the bike it is necessary to leave the next parking or pay extra for exceeding the period of use. If the destination is not reached, no one bothers to take this another bike parking and go further.







For bicycle do not need to care, no one steals and if suddenly changed his mind, then you can go home on the subway. The bike has a flashlight, a basket or even lock.

True, there are those who hire system is not very pleasant. His position, they argue that often at the nearest station to you is not a bike and you have to go to the next. And when we reach the right place for you and there is parking is filled to capacity, and you need to go further to find a free place. All this - forced a waste of time ... Plus, sometimes the bikes are faulty.

(in fact, for them still follow and serve)



Despite some flaws, the pros outweigh. And the number of people who daily use bicycles Vélib ', confirmation.











Now the city in 1450 stations and 20,000 bicycles in free float (in the city center, in fact, every 300 meters).



By the way, there is a short-term bicycle ticket - for 1 day or week. The first will cost you 1 euro, and the second - in 5. However, be prepared that your card temporarily freeze EUR 150 in case if you do not return the bike.

Pleasant walks!