Established in late July 2009, the Nice bike-sharing system “Vélos Bleus,” which has just celebrated its 10th anniversary, remains a success. The subscription cost is very reasonable, the network is satisfactory at least in the greater downtown area, and the convenience has attracted many users.
However, the system still has too many flaws that have not been corrected. These issues are a hindrance to the development of cycling in Nice, which is still lagging significantly behind most other major French cities.
The 15,000 annual subscriptions are not insignificant, but the proportion of short-term tourist use likely inflates the numbers, and there is still significant room for improvement if the system is substantially enhanced. Here are some proposals from a half-satisfied subscriber.
Anticipating Flow Management
Even though there was an improvement this year, it’s still one of the major drawbacks of the system. Daily flows are quite similar depending on the season and are insufficiently anticipated by the concessionaire, Veloway.
In the stations located in outlying neighborhoods, in the morning, after 8:30 or 9:00 AM, it is difficult to find a functioning bike. In the two northernmost stations in the city (St Maurice and Ry), it’s often mission impossible.
Conversely, it’s not uncommon for stations in the hypercenter, where a lot of professional or commercial activities are concentrated, to be full. I have had to visit five stations on two occasions before being able to return a bike… more than a kilometer away from my workplace.
These peak hour flows should be systematically organized.
Too Much Faulty Equipment
We know how crucial saved or lost time is in choosing a mode of transport. In the city center, the bike is the fastest means of transportation, provided the equipment is reliable, which unfortunately is far from always being the case with the Vélos Bleus. This lack of reliability constitutes a major time loss, truly prohibitive when there are professional constraints. For a whole period, I did not renew my subscription for this reason.
It is not uncommon to have to rent two faulty bikes before finding one in good condition, as on-site testing is not always sufficient to assess the working condition. In the meantime, at least ten minutes will have elapsed because the information kiosks are themselves not very responsive, even though waiting times have recently been reduced.
Each week, a hundred bikes are sent for repair, and many others remain in the stations. It is therefore evident: the equipment is not of very good quality, and we should consider moving to a new generation of Vélos Bleus, which are lighter and more reliable. In the long run, the investment would be largely offset by the differential in maintenance costs and by the gain in subscribers.
An Extension to the Eastern Peripheral Neighborhoods and Towns
Metropolitan communes, Saint-André de La Roche and La Trinité, are much closer than Cagnes sur Mer to downtown Nice, and the topography is not at all discouraging for cycling. Yet, Cagnes-sur-Mer and Saint-Laurent du Var have Vélo Bleus stations while there’s none above the tram stations of Pasteur and Pont Michel. This inequality needs to be addressed quickly by setting up stations up to the Saint-André pool on one side and the La Trinité town hall on the other, passing through Bon Voyage, Liserons, and Ariane.
At a minimum, the following locations could be serviced by a station, from south to north: Bon Voyage School, Sainte-Marie Hospital, Liserons, Saint-André Town Hall, Saint-André Pool, the two Ariane bridges, the Oli Stadium, La Bourgade College, La Trinité Station, Chênes Verts, and Auchan. This makes for a total of 12 new stations. In parallel, work on a convention with the Paillons Community of Communes to serve the Drap High School. The topography is favorable, and the road is completely congested in the morning.
While Nice-Nord was served after I requested it in 2016, the station network remains insufficient. At a minimum, a station should be added on the upper part of Cessole Boulevard, one on Henri Dunant Avenue, and another around the future Ray Park.
Finally, if the topography seems unfavorable, it is unfortunate not to make use of the beautiful bike path linking Nice to Villefranche-sur-Mer and install one or two stations on the Basse Corniche, on an experimental basis. If successful, stations could be implemented up to Beaulieu-sur-Mer.
Regular Surveys of Users
All these improvement proposals — and others — would be obvious if users were more involved in evaluating the system. It is a pity that the 15,000 subscribers were never consulted.
An annual survey should be instituted to measure the satisfaction rate on various indicators (speed, equipment reliability, station network…), to better understand their practice and their wishes regarding the evolution of the system and its service. It would also be interesting to know why some subscribers do not renew their membership.
Launching a first consultation would be a nice way to celebrate these 10 years of existence.
Xavier Garcia
