In brief to see what happens when we put a terrific open public project (the Paris Vélib’ project at http://www.velib.fr/ ) together with an informal public conversation (Paris Green Drinks http://www.greendrinks.ecoplan.org/ ). Here are a few talking points about this to which you may wish to give some thought.
1. This entire operation – the website and its content -- is to be defined by those who want to join in and take part. Our initial point of departure for designing the site and getting it off the ground for starters, will be to draw it to the attention of the Paris Green Drinks group for their inputs and suggestions, but it would be surprising if it were to stop there.
2. As you will hopefully note we are trying to make this into an easy bi-lingual tool. That after all is where we are going on this sweltering planet. And it does not mean that we turn our backs on the language of Molière, but rather that we understand that in this big and confused word in which we live we must be able to understand and hopefully express ourselves in at least two, maybe more, languages each. One of these, for better or worse, just happens to be English.
3. The site will we hope be open shortly to contributors and contributions in other languages: dead and alive. Including in time, I am willing to bet, Esperanto.
4. It may turn out that there are better blogs out there on Vélib’ that are already doing the job. No problem, let us know and we can always just move over and lend them a hand.
5. Tell us what is working, and even more what is not. And if you have any ideas as to how to fix or do better, this would be better yet.
6. One thing I would hope eventually show up here would be a list – perhaps weekly – of all accidents involving Vélib’ or maybe bicycles and pedestrians in the Paris area. There is a great section on this in the http://www.streetsblog.org/ for New York City (The Weekly Carnage). It could serve as our example.
So, what happens next? Go for it!
Eric Britton
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