Eighteen kilograms, a bell, a headlight, a basket, and an azure blue color—the latest addition to the “Vélib’” family arrives in Nice.
Following the establishment of the one euro bus and tram ticket, Christian Estrosi decided to implement a bike-sharing service as a part of his sustainable development policy. The main goals of the blue bikes are: promoting an environmentally friendly mode of transportation and reducing time lost in traffic jams.
To support this, the city council plans to extend the network of bike lanes. Currently at 29 km, it is expected to reach around 125 km by 2013.
By July, 90 stations with 900 bikes will be set up in the city center and southeast neighborhoods. The complete network including the West (Magnan), North, and Northeast (L’Ariane) neighborhoods will be available from April 2010. A total of 175 stations and 1,750 bikes will be provided.
An annual rate of 25 euros
Stations will be positioned every 300 meters with 3,100 docking points distributed across the entire network.
Unlike in Marseille, the Blue Bikes will be available 24/7. The price for an annual subscription will be 25 euros, 10 euros for a monthly subscription, and 1 euro for a daily pass.
These rates are higher than those in neighboring Marseille, where the annual fee for bikes is a mere 7 euros compared to 25 euros in Nice and 29 euros in Paris.
The annual cost of this installation is estimated at 3,316,440 euros. Like its counterparts, this cost will be offset by advertising panels at the stations and rental income.
