Ideaplants

How often did it happen that we have to send a video file to our client that takes hours to upload.
And that while the client is just a 20min drive away. But of course everyone is on the way to a meeting it’s rush hours so even a taxi courier couldn’t solve the issue. And of course it should have been delivered yesterday.


Pedalbxl is a solution to such a situation here in Brussels. And not only quick but also green. The company offers delivery services by bicycle. Not only cost effective but also fast and reliable since the common traffic trap in rush hour times can be avoided. A nice concept really.

A public bike rental system that actually works?


To be honest, when I first heard of Paris’ Velib bikes, I was a bit amused. Especially when I heard that they actually use trucks to pick up bikes in the lower areas of the city to drop bring them to empty stations that are further up the hills.  How ecological is this really?


When I actually tried them I changed my mind.


Fair enough: Not everyone apreciates their Velibs as much as its inventors might have dreamt of -quite some of the bikes you find at Velib stations are damaged and with a big group of people it is difficult to find enough bikes. Also it is not easy to find parking space for many people since each station has a limited amount of stations.


The basic concept however seems to work. There are plenty of Velib stations all over Paris, prices are affordable and you can get your Velib subscription via your metro pass. Even some of the detail has been thought of: If you want to park at a station that is already full, you can get 15min for free to find an alternative station. Something we can currently only dream of in Brussels.


I’ve heard there are similar systems in other cities around the globe (e.g. Geneva). Let me know in case you’ve got experiences with similar systems!



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It looks like Brussels is catching up as well!
on May 16th Brussels’ new bike rental system Villo has been introduced. Has anyone had experiences with the bikes so far?

Yesterday I got to attend a mobility debate organized by Jong Groen & Ecoloj, the two green parties in Brussels.

Besides representatives of both parties, Pascal Smet, Minister of Mobility in Brussels (Sp.a) were in the discussion panel.

I found it quite interesting to join the debate – not only to see that it is actual possible to organize a debate that is completely bilingual but also since I personally never realized the complexity of the mobility issue in bigger cities.

It is quite interesting to realize that the current transport system is built for for cars although it acually compromizes only a smaller percentage of the population that is commuting day in day out in our city.

Car-free sundays, awareness work, more encouraged bikers on the roads… compared to other big cities like London and Berlin, Brussels still has a long way to go in creating an efficient and sustainable transport system.

A Water Roller is a tool designed for water tranportation. Instead of carrying big buckets, one can simply ‘roll’ the water. Anyone can buy or distribute these rollers. › Continue reading