The talk of Paris this week is cycling. Not le Tour, though, but leVelib' - the new public bikes introduced by the mairie (city hall) last Sunday, following the example of Lyon (where the scheme has been in place for a couple of years).
All around the city, at intervals of a few hundred metres, there are rows of bikes, available to use for a subscription of €1 daily, €5 weekly or €29 for a year. The first half hour use is free but then you must pay €1 for the next half hour, and so on. A €150 deposit dissuades you from keeping or trashing the velo.
With such charges, the scheme is aimed more at short-hop commuters rather than tourists. Still, technically it's possible to cycle free for a whole day - if you change bicycles every half hour. Strategic planning comes in handy.
As it happens, most of Paris is within 20 minutes cycling range - from the Arc de Triomphe to the Bastille (the west-east axis) is fairly flat, but Montmartre and Saint Michel are on hills. In particular, cycling up Montmartre would be a bit of a slog - the bikes (right) are built to be durable and at 22kg are quite heavy (as well as being unattractive - and all are girls' bikes!).
Also, Parisian drivers are notoriously homicidal, and there aren't cycle lanes in the city centre.
Still, the initial take-up has been a huge success and everyone is talking about using them this summer. Look out for them next time you visit Paris.
Could something similar work in Dublin, Cork, Belfast or Galway?