Photo by gek_at

The path is clear for all bicycles in Vienna—the old, the cheap, and the new.

On April 14 and 15, 2007 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in front of the Viennese Rathaus, bicycles—and, perhaps, their owners—will be the stars at Vienna’s Fifth Bike Festival. The event is sponsored by Argus, a non-profit, non-partisan association of like-minded bike-crazed individuals aiming to promote the use of bicycles to ease traffic in the city and protect the environment.

For anyone searching for cheaper bikes (or wanting to sell an old bike) the Bike Festival is there to help. This year’s theme is mobility. A flea market for two-wheeled transport will be joined by a few tents selling bike accessories and parts at bargain prices. The latest maps for bikes will also distributed for free. A Nostalgia Corner will exhibit historical bikes, and seminars will tackle issues, including bicycle mobility in the city and children’s safety.

One of the festival’s highlights is Vienna Air King, the International Dirt Jump Contest. Participants will show off back flip or Superman tricks. Hardcore.

For more information, call +43 (0)1 505 0907 or email service@argus.or.at.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Photograph by Julien Hery

Paris city administration will launch an ambitious bike lending program this summer called “Velib.” The curious name is a hybrid of the French words for bicycle (”velo”) and freedom (”liberte”).

A fleet of 14,100 bicycles will be made available at 1,420 hiring spots for daily, weekly or yearly rentals. The rates? Dirt cheap. After paying a subscription fee of €1 for a day or €5 for the week, one will be able to pick up a bike and use it for free for one full half-hour. After that, your credit card gets charged at the following rates: €1 for the first half-hour, €2 for the next half-hour and €4 for every subsequent half-hour. The system is stacked in favor of short, point-to-point trips. If the city authorities deliver on the promised density of the network, it should work like a dream for visitors.

Children under 14 are not allowed to use the system and those aged between 14-18 have to show authorization from a legal guardian. More information will be available on a Web site due to launch later this year.

Work to set up the pick-up and drop-off points starts this week. The three-speed bikes will be grey and equipped with sturdy front baskets. Paris boasts over 300 kilometers of bicycle paths inside the city, and some streets are closed to traffic on Sundays and public holidays for cyclists, pedestrians, and roller-bladers. Take a look at the city’s cycle path maps.

Popularity: 6% [?]