I always thought the Velosolex was ideal cheap transport for French youth.
Whilst I still feel that, John's picture does show that it has its knockers.
Whilst I still feel that, John's picture does show that it has its knockers.
To satisfy your curiosity Cogs, the photograph, if that is what you are referring, to is the work of Henri Cartier Bresson and the model, one of the three charming ladies belowWho are these knockers exactly?
I think they should be revealed immediately!
You mean Boris won't save the day flecc?Yes, there are quite a few city schemes running in various places around the world and all claim success but no hard data is available from most.
Paris have talked themselves into a trap with the propaganda, on an Ixion's wheel of their own devising, hence the scheme slogging on.
One thing is for certain, if French firm J C Decaux couldn't get it to work, it's hardly likely anyone else will. Decaux are one of the world's largest street advertising outfits, maintaining street advertising signs and bus shelters around the world, including here in London. As such, they probably know more about coping with on-street vandalism than anyone, so it's unlikely anyone else can do better.
The fatal flaw with the Velib scheme is the credit card. Stolen credit cards and PINs can be used and once a bike is "in the wild", there is no way of detecting anyone is riding a stolen one, all appear to be equally legitimately ridden. A single freshly stolen card can be quickly used to release a batch of bikes from a rack for a yob and his mates, all never to be recovered. The same goes for those stolen when someone legitimately riding one parks it for a moment to go into a shop or other location. And as for wilful vandalism by the disaffected, how easy is that on derailleur bikes? A swift kick at the rear mechanism and it's ruined, a knife slash into the saddle and that's likewise.
I don't know who will run the London scheme, but heaven help us if it's the Greater London Authority itself, for we London taxpayers will end up footing the bill as we are for the Olympics.
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Seriously this is the best way, but no fingerprinting or ID, just a fleet of suitable bikes dumped around everywhere in cheap racks for anyone to help themselves completely free whenever they want.Maybe the answer is to give cheap bikes away free to anyone who wants one,
Anyone "smart" enough to nick credit cards and PINs (both are needed to get the back) is IMO very unlikely to use them for such a trivial and obvious purpose (particularly as a load of yobs riding these bikes would be under the eagle eyes of CCTV) - especially when such fraud can earn then a spell in prison much more so than just nicking a bike or anything else off the street! Plus the computer shows where the stolen card has been used - evidence!The fatal flaw with the Velib scheme is the credit card. Stolen credit cards and PINs can be used and once a bike is "in the wild", there is no way of detecting anyone is riding a stolen one, all appear to be equally legitimately ridden. A single freshly stolen card can be quickly used to release a batch of bikes from a rack for a yob and his mates, all never to be recovered.
for all the claimed Liberté, Égalite et Fraternité, the French government (of all political colours) very often just go ahead and do things without even bothering to consult the local people, anything from foisting nuclear power stations to music festivals on them! (you might think "what is wrong with a music festival?" but I'm sure you'd agree local people should get some say in the matter!)I agree Alex, many of the bikes may indeed be shipped out.
Also, as you say, the French are being very tight lipped about how they are keeping the scheme running, I suspect it's on public funds with the sources hidden by accounting tweaks, and could be an under the counter government bail-out.
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