The SnippEthel

I have received my Velo'v card today!

But what is Velo'v, you might say... Velo'v is a brilliant and simple concept.
There are about 3000 bikes provided by the city hall of Lyon. All those bikes are situated in 200 'stations' around Lyon and in the suburbs. You can take a bike where you live, for example, ride to your workplace and park it to the closest velo'v station, where somebody else will use it to go somewhere else.

If you live in Lyon and wish to use the bikes on a regular basis, you can order a long term card (like the one I have received). It cost £7 (10€) for a whole year. After that, you can use the bike as much as you want, considering the first half hour is totally free and after that it is about 0,50€ per hour.
If you are just passing by, you can get a short term card which costs 1€. Once again, the first half hour is free and then it's about 1€ per hour.
It is really convenient for people who have no opportunity to store their bikes at home or at work, and you don't need to worry that someone is going to steal your beloved bicycle.
The bikes are really handy with a basket at the front, three levels of speed (not sure how to explain this, but you get the idea... don't you..?) the required lights and the thing to tie your bike to something to avoid theft (obvious lack of vocabulary here...).
Everyone loves Velo'v in Lyon, they constantly add more stations and more bicycles and the concept has already reached other French towns. More and more people choose to use bikes instead of cars in town which makes the city much more agreable and clean.
It has also brought back an old habit of our ancestors : the romantic cycling... All around Lyon, you come accross young men riding Velo'v with their girls facing them, sitting on the handlebar... I'll try and take a picture sometime soon. Romance is back in the heart of our cities, so bucolic!