In chapter 6 of Plan B 4.0 the author talks about how Paris has redesigned its urban transport system. It all started in 2001, Paris was one of the cities with the absolute worst congestion and air pollution to date, so they decided to make a change. The country set a goal, it was to achieve a 40% reduction in congestion and air pollution by 2020. One way they changed their city was to introduce a Bicycle rental system. In this program they provided 20,600 different bikes throughout the city, at 1,450 various docking stations. The amount of the rental was based off how long a rider wanted a membership, the prices ranged from only $1 per day to $40 for an entire year. The success of the new rental program was unprecedented, renting out 48 million bikes within the first year!
Personally, I think this program is absolutely one of the greatest things I have ever heard of, and it should be implemented in every major city. With more people using bikes to travel from place to place, rather than cars, it will not only help with the environmental issues of congestion and air pollution but it will also improve the overall health of the city. First of all, it will create cleaner air to breath, which was the actual design of the system but it will also get people exercising on a daily basis. This will improve the obesity issue of our nation, the United States. This will create a healthier community to live in and decrease the amount of health issues within a given area, all because commuters decided to ride a bike rather than drive.
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