Socalism + Environmentalism = Schadenfreude

[pastygothchick.livejournal.com]

The Roundup: Velib May Not Last

Only 18 months after its launch, the Parisian bike-share program, Velib, has been forced to replace nearly all of its original 15,000 bicycles due to customer theft and abuse, and the company that runs the program, JCDecaux says it can no longer afford to operate the city-wide network, the BBC and New York Times report.

More than half of its original fleet of 15,000 specially made bicycles have disappeared and are presumed stolen, according to the BBC, and more than 11,000 Velib bicycles have been subject to significant vandalism - an apparently popular practice called "Velib extreme." Velib bicycles have been found hung from lampposts, dumped in the Seine and torched and broken into pieces. Other bicycles have turned up in Africa and eastern Europe with no explanation or reason. Velib customers have even posted videos of their misuse on YouTube.

Sometimes laughing at this stuff is the only way to stay sane.

Update:

Here's another side to the article both the BBC and the New York Times didn't report.

Reports of Vélib’s Demise Greatly Exaggerated

Not that bicycle abuse is a phantom problem. It exacts a real toll, but much of that cost has been anticipated and accounted for. Last July, the city of Paris agreed to pay JCDecaux 400 euros for every bike stolen in excess of four percent of the total fleet each year. Given the enormous popularity of Vélib -- users have taken 42 million rides since its debut -- the cost of those payments is minimal. Using the BBC's figure of 7,800 missing bikes, the pricetag for the city comes to less than 2 million euros annually, out of 20 million euros in user fees.

Wow, is my face red.

Comments

[ga-unicorn.livejournal.com]

People don't value that which they don't earn. That's why "public" housing always ends up looking like it's in the middle of a war zone, and why people feel free to abuse those poor bicycles. Liberals never learn this lesson.

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

Wow, I was not aware of this program. But see? Proof once again that when people are just given things without having earned them, they do not value them and take care of them. That is human nature.

[pastygothchick.livejournal.com]

Absolutely, what incentive do they have to take care of these bicycles? The government picks up the tab. They aren't punished for criminal activity.

I firmly believe when accountability for one's behavior is removed, people embrace the basest of behaviors.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

We're not "given" them - you pay for a €1 daily, €5 weekly or €29 annual subscription, PLUS you pay by the half hour (1 then 2 then 4 euros/half hour), so that the bikes rotate fast. It's subsidised to be inexpensive, but that's not the same thing.

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the clarification. But whatever the case may be, people tend to not care too much about things that are not theirs. Shouldn't be that way, but it is.

[mprice.livejournal.com]

No different than the way people abuse rental cars. Hey, it's just a rental! If I f*** this one up, I'll just get another. After all, the company has insurance, right?

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Nah, nah, nah, I live in Paris and use Vélibs all the time; it's a flagship program and won't be allowed to fail.

It may end up partly on my tax bill, OR the city will actually request a crackdown (police is national here.)

[pastygothchick.livejournal.com]

So, is the article untrue? I checked a few articles on this and they were all similar.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

The article isn't untrue but the emphasis is. There's no way the program will be discontinued. It is mainstream and popular - those 20,000 bikes have been rented an amazing 70 million times in less than two years; and the French in general are willing to pay for infrastructure teething problems. I was a candidate on a conservative list during the last municipal elections, and even though we fought against Mayor Delanoë, who's a Socialist, we still supported the program. (We said it was badly run, mind you.)

[pastygothchick.livejournal.com]

Evidently, the articles I read got all of their information from the same source. I updated the post to show the error.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

It was all lifted from this same (http://www.leparisien.fr/une/les-velib-decimes-par-le-vandalisme-09-02-2009-404833.php) series (http://www.leparisien.fr/paris-75/1-500-reparations-quotidiennes-09-02-2009-404842.php) of articles (http://www.leparisien.fr/societe/jcdecaux-veut-faire-payer-paris-09-02-2009-404844.php) in (http://www.leparisien.fr/paris-75/chaque-jour-brice-assure-la-tournee-des-commissariats-09-02-2009-404838.php) Le Parisien (http://www.leparisien.fr/paris-75/ils-se-lancent-des-defis-sur-le-net-09-02-2009-404841.php). He, I've been a foreign correspondent; I've used a good article in a local paper as a basis for a quick story. You make a couple of extra phone calls, and hey,there you are!

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Your face should NOT be red. You found a first good story, reacted fast when some of its conclusions were challenged (remember, the facts are not wrong); have linked to an absolutely first-rate blog which I did not know - and I LIVE here - and in short provided better information to therightfangirl than NYT and BBC readers have. (And French users, too.) Be proud!