by AFP: Lebanon launched a bike-sharing programme in its capital Beirut on Sunday,
hoping to cut down on the congested city’s notorious traffic and pollution. The
scheme aims to eventually allow users to rent and return bicycles at 25
automated stations distributed across the city. For now, a single station is
operating in central Beirut, with limited cyclist lanes available to those
looking to beat the traffic. Prime Minister Saad Hariri officially inaugurated
the scheme, participating in a bike ride and pledging to organise car-free days
to prioritise cycling in the city. Around half a million cars clog Beirut’s
streets on a daily basis, according to experts, causing enormous traffic jams
and contributing to air pollution. But only a handful of cyclists brave the
roads, where drivers regularly ignore traffic signals and lanes are virtually
an unknown concept. The bike programme has already started in the northern city
of Byblos, and there are plans to expand it to other coastal cities, including
Tripoli and Batroun in the north, and Sidon and Tyre in Lebanon’s south.The
scheme will charge around $3 an hour for bike rental, with monthly subscribers
paying a lower rate. Bike-sharing programmes have proved popular in many major
cities, including Paris and London.