Britain takes to bikes

Chances are no self-respecting Brit will ever admit that the French had a good idea, but it looks like London is ready to copy Paris' wildly successful Velib public bicycle loaner program. According to the Times of London, 6,000 bikes will be distributed around London by 2010. In Paris, the program is free and funded by advertising. In London, however, the program will be paid for by more than $100 million of taxpayer money.

Borrowing a bike will be free for 30 minutes and will then pay about $2 for each additional half hour, with a credit-card swipe serving as the guarantee that the bike will be returned in a timely manner. The Times says that bike stations will be set up every 300 meters in the city center. While Paris already has 20,000 bikes in circulation, London is planning fewer in order to avoid having too many bike stations crowding sidewalks.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone is floating a billion-dollar plan to encourage biking over the next decade, including building bike lines in from the suburbs and changing traffic rules to favor bikes. His ambitions may be thwarted, however, by local government officials who don't want him poking around in their boroughs.

And at least one commenter to the Times story was definitely not on board: "If you work in any income-generating occupation in London (i.e. in a suit), it is impractical to cycle to work. No more hippy lanes please, and no more hippy policies!"