Denis Baupin, Green Deputy Mayor of Paris, joined Greens in London on Thursday to promote bringing a street bike hire scheme to London, along with other Parisian Green Party ideas.
The street bike hire scheme in Paris has been a huge success since it was introduced in July 2007. In Paris, the Velib scheme started in July 2007 with 10,000 bikes. When the scheme is fully rolled out, it will offer a total of 1,451 bike stations (compared to 298 tube stations in Paris), with 20,000 bikes. Bikes are free for the first 30 minutes, then prices rise afterwards.
All the main candidates for Mayor have promised to set up an equivalent of the Paris Velib scheme in central London, but current plants include just 6,000 bikes in central London. The Green Party is concerned that the other parties won’t actually deliver the scheme unless there is either a Green Mayor, or a strong presence on the London Assembly, and that current plans won’t serve areas, such as outer London, that need street bikes the most.
Green candidate for Mayor, Siân Berry, has pledged to make sure the scheme is extended to the whole city as quickly as possible, at the latest by 2011, saying that everyone in London should benefit from having a bike available as an option for every suitable journey.
The Green Party’s role in the running of Paris has played a significant part in pushing ahead with cutting edge ideas like the Velib bike scheme, just as the Greens’ budget agreements in London with Ken Livingstone have trebled the amount spent on walking and cycling in London since 2004.
Denis said: “Paris and London are two great cities which share similar problems and are adopting similar solutions. The greens on the London Assembly have used their budget agreement with the London Mayor to promote all the best ideas from Paris and I want to take back to Paris the best ideas from London. We have given a big boost to cycling and to the campaign to drink tap water instead of bottled water.
“London has its own set of cutting edge ideas with the rapid expansion of environmentally friendly car clubs and borough wide 20mph zones which will build on your dramatic success in reducing road casualties.”
Siân Berry said, “Bringing Paris-style street bikes to London could revolutionise public transport by dramatically increasing the number of people with access to this healthy, green way to travel. It would extend cycling to people who don’t necessarily want to become ‘cyclists’ but just want to get around more quickly and easily. “
Jenny Jones said: “The Greens in London and Paris have been successful champions of ideas which are making our cities cleaner, greener and more affordable places to live. Although the Greens on the London Assembly have been amazingly successful during the last four years in getting our ideas adopted, we need a strong green presence on the London Assembly to make sure that these ideas receive the necessary investment in the future too.
“Boris Johnson has promised the Velib bike hire scheme, but only if it doesn’t cost anything, which is just not viable in London. Ken Livingstone has said he will start in central London, but we want a scheme which also covers the suburbs.”
Baupin has been impressed by how the two Green Party members of the London Assembly have helped push ideas pioneered in Paris like the plage (summer beech) which is due to be set up on the embankment and the water carafes for restaurants, which are part of the London on tap campaign to discourage bottled water.