Autolib Paris

Warning Idiot
Originally uploaded by malias.

Hot on the heels of the velib bike rental scheme in Paris. The mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoë. has produced a new scheme to provide electric cars that can be picked up and deposited anywhere in the city and the outskirts..

The Autolib system as it is to be called will begin its operation at the end of 2009 and will involve 4000 carbon neutral electric cars when you pick up the car a computer will let you know of an available parking space at your destination. Some of the the details of the scheme are yet to be decided such as how much it will cost. One report says that the price will be around €200-€250 per month for around 60 miles of driving.

The reaction to the Autolib proposal has been mixed. On the one hand, the system is aimed to reduce still further the need for an individual or a family to own its own car in Paris. However, some, including the Green party, are more sceptical arguing that a car is still a car no matter how green it seems and people should be encouraged to use the Metro, buses and bicycles without clogging up the streets of Paris with yet more vehicles.