vel’oh! One year already !
1st anniversary of the capital’s self-service bike system.
On 21 March 2009, the self-service bike system vel’oh! is celebrating its 1st anniversary since its launch a year ago. The arrival of vel’oh! has profoundly changed the ways of getting around town, enabling users to get across town quicker, in a nicer, money-saving and ecological way which is adapted to their varied needs.
"Since its arrival, the number of cyclists has tripled in the capital", explains François Bausch, 1st deputy mayor in the City of Luxembourg in charge of mobility. "This is formidable proof that the cycling culture in general and self-service bikes in particular are in full renaissance. We are confident that this evolution will continue and that, in the long term, this flexible way of moving around town will attract the largest number of travellers, leading to a new sharing of the public area."
This anniversary is also marked by an extension and significant densification of the network, which will go from 32 to 43 stations at the start of spring. The system will be completed by 4 stations in summer to reach a total of 47 stations in August 2009. In addition to additional stations in Kirchberg, vel’oh! will now also be available near schools and the University of Luxembourg in the Belair, Bonnevoie and Limpertsberg districts. This change responds to growing demand by young users in the 14 to 24 year old age bracket.
Jean Sébastien Decaux, Director of JC Decaux Luxembourg, has also expressed his satisfaction about the great success of Vel’oh! : "For JC Decaux and for myself, this success is particularly significant as it is the fruit of a long term partnership, one that is both constructive and innovative for the development of self-service bicycles in the capital."
With over 100,000 users and 300 rentals a day, vel’oh! is proof of unequalled development in terms of easy mobility which is getting the surrounding districts even more interested. "We are particularly happy that the municipalities of Strassen and Hesperange have decided to follow the example of the City of Luxembourg and join our network and we hope that others will follow", says Paul Helminger, mayor of the City of Luxembourg.
To celebrate this 1st anniversary, this Friday and Saturday the City of Luxembourg will be handing out small gifts in various places in the city centre to invite citizens to celebrate this event and thank users for their loyalty.
Now we’re going everywhere with vel’oh!
