Paris wants to reduce car traffic 40% by 2020. And the only way the city thinks they can convince motorists to give up their cars is by making them “live in hell”.

A big first step in the “motorists must live in hell” initiative is the Vélib’ cheap bike rental program (roughly $46 a year), which is already a big hit in Paris after only one year, according to the New York Times. Putting 20,600 bikes on the road at 1,450 self-service stations across the city, has resulted in a 70% increase in bicycle usage. And though 3 Velib riders have been killed since January and 70 injured, the overall accident rate on Paris streets has declined 20% according to TimesOnline.

Now, I recognize that Paris is one of the densest cities in the world, so taking any sort of Parisian solution and applying it directly to sprawled out Atlanta is going to be a bit of a stretch. We can’t even manage build an efficient and far-reaching rail system. But many denser U.S. cities (New York?) might start considering such solutions in the near future, potentially making them even more desirable to a population suffocating on high gas prices.

But before that can happen, we Americans need to figure out if we would really be able to wear dress shirts, slacks, skirts, or dresses on a bike. We can’t all be changing in the bathrooms before and after work. And don’t even get me started on the helmet-hair.

[photo courtesy of the New York Times]