Bikes in Paris
Stephen Clarke
Writer
The new thing about Paris that I really love are these Vélib’ bikes. I’ve been living in the city for 14 years and it is like a breath of fresh air in Parisian life. You pay €1 and you can pick up a Vélib’ anywhere in Paris. The funny thing is, it has matured quickly and the whole system has become very Parisian.
At the bike stand where you hire them you have these mini-riots where the experienced people shove to the front of the queue and get impatient if tourists try to rent one. It has become very Darwinian, and Paris is a very Darwinian place.
It has also become very stylish - these Vélib’ people look down on your normal bike riders and rollerbladers. People dress really smart and Vélib’ about. It is a very popular way of chatting people up.
I find Paris endlessly fascinating. It is a city of extreme pleasures and extreme frustration. It is also a very crowded city, which is why Parisians have the sharpest elbows and tongues in the world. I always say if you’re living in the sea, it is best to mutate into a shark, so after living here for so long, I’ve mutated into a shark. Once you get into that shameless individualism you have a wonderful life. I drift through life now. I see a table in the sun and head for it and sit down and ignore any reserved sign. Paris does that to you.