PARIS - France 2014 - page 94

When passing vehicles or other bikes, always pass on the left (it's illegal to pass on the
right); and where there is no stoplight, always yield to traffic merging from the right, even
if you're on a major road and the merging driver is on a side street. You'll find a bell on
your bike; use it like a horn to warn pedestrians who don't see you.
TheTIshaveahelpful“ParisàVélo”map,whichshowsallthededicatedbikepaths.
Many other versions are available for sale at newsstand kiosks, some bookstores, and de-
partment stores.
Rental Bikes: The following companies rent bikes to individuals, as well as offering
organized bike tours (see “Tours in Paris—By Bike,” later). Bike About Tours is your
best bet for bike rental (€15/day during office hours, €20/24 hours, includes lock and hel-
met;dailymid-Feb-Dec9:00-18:00,closedDec-mid-Feb;shoplocatednearHôteldeVille
in Vinci parking garage—see map on here , Mo: Hôtel de Ville, www.bikeabouttours.com ,
[e-mail] ). Fat Tire Bike Tours has a limited supply of bikes for rent,
so call ahead to check availability (€4/hour, €25/24 hours, includes lock and helmet,
credit-card imprint required for deposit, €2/day rental discount with this topic; office open
daily 9:00-18:30, May-Aug bike rental only after 11:30 as priority is given to those tak-
ing a tour, 24 Rue Edgar Faure—see map on here , Mo: Dupleix, tel. [phone],
www.fattirebiketoursparis.com ) .
Vélib' Bikes: The city's Vélib' program (from vélo + liberté or libre = “bike free-
dom” or “free bike”) gives residents and foreigners alike access to more than 20,000 bikes
at nearly 1,500 stations scattered around the city.
While the curbside stations only accept American Express or chip-and-PIN credit
cards(see here ) ,anykindofcreditcardwillworkifyouplanaheadandbuyasubscription
inadvanceonlineat http://en.velib.paris.fr .ThesubscriptionprocessisinEnglishandeasy
to follow: Click on “Subscriptions and Fees,” then scroll down to select the “Short-Term
Subscription” you want (€1.70/1 day, €8/7 days). After payment, you'll get an ID number
and a four-digit PIN code. To pick up a bike, go to any bike rack, enter your ID number
and PIN at the machine (all have English instructions), select a bike, and away you go!
Makesuretopickabikeinworkingorder;ifabikehasaproblem,locals willturntheseat
backwards (tel. [phone]).
By Rollerblade
Inline skaters take to the streets most Sunday afternoons and Friday evenings. It's serious
skaters only on Fridays (they meet at 21:30 and are ready to roll at 22:00), but anyone can
join in on Sundays (at 14:30). Police close off different routes each week to keep locals
engaged, but the starting points are always the same. On Sunday, skaters leave from the
south side of Place de la Bastille (for the route, see www.rollers-coquillages.org , click