Paris – less traffic through common use of car and bike

Paris wants to reduce its CO2 emissions. While Orly Airport uses geothermal energy, giving up private cars is at the forefront of urban transport: Within a radius of a few hundred meters, everyone can find an entrance to the underground, a rental bike and, soon, a hire car.

Every 300 meters a rental bike is available for taking a ride. The Paris bike rental project Vélib’ has been motivating residents and tourists since 2007 to use muscle power. It has been a success: Every day 50,000 to 90,000 people get around with rental bikes in the French capital. In the entire city and into the outlying districts approximately 20,000 bicycles are available at 1,800 renting stations. In this, Paris is a model for many European metropolises. In Hamburg, for instance, the project “StadtRad” has had more and more enthusiastic supporters since 2009.

Car-sharing program starting in September

Every fourth Parisian is thinking about getting rid of their car because they use it only occasionally, can’t find parking or simply can’t afford it. For these occasional drivers, car-sharing is a practical, economical and above all eco-friendly alternative. In Paris preparations are underway for such a project with the name Autolib’. From fall this year, 3,500 to 5,000 electric cars will be available to drivers by the Seine.

Geothermal heat at Paris-Orly Airport

Even Paris airports are committed to CO2 reduction. Paris Orly depends on renewable energy from the earth’s natural heat: Less than two kilometers under the airport is an enormous chamber of water at a heat of 75 degrees. The warmth derived from it covers approximately 30 percent of the airport’s heating needs. That corresponds to approximately 4,000 metric tons of crude oil and a CO2 saving of 9,000 metric tons per year.

While the Train of Ideas stops in PARIS, the following events will also take place:

Growing greener cities.
Perspectives on (re)creating urban green on September 2nd at 7 p.m. at Goethe-Institut Paris. More information here.

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