Riccardo Liguori Paris has embarked on an ambitious path to become a greener and more sustainable city, encouraging the use of bicycles and reducing car traffic even in the urban suburbs.
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This is a city that in recent years has changed dramatically. Once car-dominated streets have flipped into a cyclist’s haven: Paris boasts more than 620 miles of dedicated bike infrastructure. The results are astounding: between 2022 and 2023, the use of bicycles in Paris doubled. In the city center, 11.2% of all trips are by bike, while car usage has come down to just 4.3%. This revolution, from the center of Paris, diffuses into the suburbs to redesign the urban and social landscape of the metropolis.
Why did Paris embrace this enthusiasm for bicycles?
Several factors have driven this monumental change. The strikes in transport in 2019 meant that Parisians had to get off cars and find their way mostly on bicycles-a fast, efficient way to get around. COVID-19 accelerated this shift: Temporary bike lanes-the so-called “coronapistes”-proved so popular that they were kept after the pandemic passed.
In all these transformations, Mayor Anne Hidalgo stands at the core-a staunch champion of a greener, people-friendly city. Re-elected in 2020, Hidalgo had an ambitious plan to make Paris the greenest city in Europe until 2030, focusing on a reduction of car traffic flow and the increase of sustainable mobility.
What were some of the strategies Paris pursued in order to achieve its objectives?
Paris has invested heavily in cycling infrastructure. The city built segregated bike lanes, expanded bike parking, and reduced speed limits to 19 mph in most urban areas. Perhaps the most striking example is the iconic Rue de Rivoli, now a two-way bike lane and a vital artery for cyclists.
Paris vs. London: contrasting approaches to cycling
A comparison with London shows divergent strategies. Both cities have about the same lengths of bike lanes, but Paris has put its investments in one umbrella at the municipal level, making the system much more coherent and so more efficient. London did decentralize everything to the district level, leading to a fragmented cycling infrastructure.
Paris also boasts a well-established public bike rental system and has banned e-scooter rentals, further encouraging cycling as the preferred mode of transportation.
Challenges ahead: suburbs and safety
However, it’s not without some further challenges ahead. For example, more than 60% of trips in the suburbs are made by car. The mayor is tackling this with massive investment in the Grand Paris Express, a program planned to improve public transport links between Paris and the outer suburbs, while also fostering intermodal solutions that combine public transit with cycling.
Cyclist safety is also a concern that remains paramount: though the new infrastructure has emerged, the danger on the streets will not vanish either.
A model for sustainable cities?
The Paris cycling revolution exemplary has shown what one can achieve to promote eco-friendly transport for citizens. And yes, all that has definitely given way for smooth reduction in car traffic or upping bicycles-on-roads stats. As with many shifts toward a greener world which contribute to saving Mother Earth and humanness on earth in return.
