At least 3,000 bicycles were stolen in the first year of operation, a number far greater than had been initially anticipated. As of August 2009, of 20,600 bikes introduced into service, about 16,000 - some 80% of the total - have been replaced due to vandalism or theft; of the latter, fully 8,000 were stolen. Stolen Velib bicycles have turned up in the Seine River, in shipping containers destined for North Africa, and in cities as far away as Brasov and Bucharest, Romania. On the streets of Paris, it is now commonplace to see Velib bicycles in their docking stations with flat tires, damaged wheels, missing baskets, and other signs of vandalism.
All so orderly an nice. It makes me want to ride off with one velo.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many of them are broken...
ReplyDeleteWikipedia says:
ReplyDeleteAt least 3,000 bicycles were stolen in the first year of operation, a number far greater than had been initially anticipated. As of August 2009, of 20,600 bikes introduced into service, about 16,000 - some 80% of the total - have been replaced due to vandalism or theft; of the latter, fully 8,000 were stolen. Stolen Velib bicycles have turned up in the Seine River, in shipping containers destined for North Africa, and in cities as far away as Brasov and Bucharest, Romania. On the streets of Paris, it is now commonplace to see Velib bicycles in their docking stations with flat tires, damaged wheels, missing baskets, and other signs of vandalism.
I thought so...
ReplyDeleteThere's something about a row of bicycles that makes it very photogenic :-)
ReplyDelete