Paris grapples with Velib bike vandals

November 1, 7:51 PMBicycle Transportation ExaminerAdam Voiland

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                How can city's protect bikes from vandals? (Credit: LZY)

The web is buzzing with chatter about vandalism challenges facing the Velib bike-sharing system in Paris, most of it stemming from a recent NYTimes story that states as many as 80 percent of the program's original 20,600 bikes have been stolen or damaged. The story pins much of the blame on youth from the poor outskirts of the city.

The isn't the first time that news of Velib vandals has circulated. Last February, the BBC published a similar story that highlighted the problem, as did NPR over the summer. Streetsblog has suggested that the reports are likely exaggerated, and many bloggers continue to make that case.

JCDecaux does have something to gain by highlighting the vandalism challenges it faces, notably financial support from the city of Paris. The city has already agreed to pay about $600 for each stolen or damaged bike.

Still, it's clear that vandalism isn't a problem that bike-sharing advocates can simply wish away. The Parisian suburbs, or banlieues, not unlike many inner-cities in America, are plagued by poverty and second-rate transportation infrastructure. In such an environment, bicycles become a convenient target.

JCDeaux has been running a public advertising campaign to discourage vandalism, but there's no easy way to solve the problem. In Washington, the city recently built a secure parking lot near Union Station to protect bikes. It's an expensive remedy, but constructing similar bike-parking stations is probably the most reliable way that French authorities can protect Velib bikes short of eliminating crime outright.