News

While cyclists in many cities are fighting to get recognized as road users, cyclists in Paris have been given the go ahead to ignore one rule of the road — riding with the traffic flow.

Administrative districts, called arrondissements in Paris, have been slowly adding two-way bike lanes to their streets in an effort to reach the goal of having 700 kilometers of bike paths by 2014. The two-way lanes are being added in zones where the speed limit is 30 km/hour with the hopes of moving cyclists off of the more crowded and chaotic main streets and onto the quieter back roads. These 30 km/h zones are being turned into cycle-friendly neighborhoods. Many neighborhoods are already taking part in “Paris Respire” — a project that closes off streets to motor traffic on Sundays and some holidays.

Not everyone is impressed with these efforts. Some critics argue that these measures will actually increase accidents involving cyclists. There are often no barriers to divide the bikes from the rest of the road, so parked cars share the bike lanes, forcing cyclists into oncoming traffic. As well, scooters have been using the bike lanes instead of roadways. In an effort to educate the public, the 17th Arrondissement City Hall put together a slideshow featuring photos that outline how the new bike lanes can create unsafe traffic conditions. While the City of Paris website does not address these issues, they do promise that the signage, logos painted on the roadway and reduced traffic in the 30 km/h zones will all allow cyclists to ride safely on the two-way paths.

Even critics of the two-way system have to admit that Paris is taking great strides to improve ease of access for cyclists in the city. The new bike plan, which was passed this June, includes 1,000 new bike parking spaces, a system to give cyclists priority at intersections and cycling courses. Their city-wide bike rental system, Velibe, celebrated its third birthday this year and cities around the world are following suit with similar programs.

While the two-way paths may not have the support of everyone, the steps Paris is taking to improve the city's cycling system are admirable and are setting a grand example for the rest of the world.