No longer the City of Lights, Paris is now the City of Bikes!

I was just back in Paris for my annual visit, it was my home for 9 years. I took my bike when I moved there in 2002 but rarely used it, as public transportation is abundant, easy to use and extensive. Sometimes I would ride but it never was the most pleasant experience. There were very limited bike lanes and well, car drivers are maniacs, no concern for traffic lanes let alone cyclists… those who complain about cycling in ABQ, crois-moi, Paris was worse!

Then in the summer of July 2007, the city introduced the Velibre’ system, the word for bike in French is “velo” and “libre” means free. It was an extensive system of rather heavy bikes which slide into locking kiosks; much like the Pace bike system that ABQ installed (although I don’t see any kiosks anymore, guess they went the no alternative transportation way). It was a revolution! The kiosks were always within 500ft of wherever you wanted to go and were a great way to get about sans metro! But there still weren’t that many bike lanes so one still took their life in their hands in traffic, a bit like playing Robo Runner!

But when Covid 19 hit in 2021, people stopped taking the metro and started riding bikes. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo responded and added 50 kilometers (25 miles) of short-term bike lanes, that came to be known as “coronapistes” (remember Covid was first referred to as the Corona Virus). But by 2022, with the city coming back to life, many of these coronapistes had become permanent. Most famously, the rue de Rivoli, which runs the stretch of the city from the Concorde, past the Louvre, to the Bastille, is now open only to cyclists, buses, taxis and emergency vehicles! What was once 2 lanes in each direction for cars only is now 1 dedicated lane for buses and taxis, the other 2 for bikes only!! Here is a video I took when there. The road which runs from the Bastille thru the popular 10th arrondissement to Stalingrad is as well dedicated to bikes only! And the street along the river Seine; what was once a busy quick thoroughfare, is now reserved for bikes and pedestrians only!

While Paris already ranked among the top ten bike-friendly cities in the world, coming in at number 8 on the 2019 Copenhagenize index, Mayor Hidalgo is quickly moving closer to her goal of transforming Paris into an eco-friendly, sustainable, and bikeable green metropolis. Between the 2024 Summer Olympics and a generous financial investment from the city for pro-bicycle infrastructure, Paris’ bike revolution is officially here!

Mayor Hildago ‘s crusade against cars has been controversial, but these initial measures have been key to the city’s transformation into a bike haven. And it seems to be working: a regional survey conducted between 2022 and 2023 by the Institut Paris Région published in April 2024 found that residents of Paris used public transport as their primary mode of travel around the city, with the bicycle as the second most common mode. The survey further reported that 11.2% of trips in Paris are made by bike, compared with 4.3% made by car—an impressive change from 2010, when, in a study by the same organization, cycling accounted for just 3% of travel across Paris. The lower traffic and noise levels are noticeable with air pollution maps showing a dramatic change. 

With its 2021–2026 Velo Plan, Paris announced its goal of becoming a “100% cycling city” by 2026. Featuring an investment of 250 million euros in cycling infrastructure, the plan has thus far added over 1,300 kilometers of green bike lanes to Parisian streets since 2020; an expansion of the Vélib’ fleet, with 20,000 bikes in total, making it one of the largest bike-sharing systems in the world; an increase in the number of bike racks on buses and secure bike parking facilities at train stations; and the “Coup de Pouce Vélo” program, which provides financial subsidies of up to 200 euros for the purchase of a new electric bike and up to 50 euros for bike repairs.

But ya know, we’ve still got one up on Paris with 350 sunny days a year and a rail trail on the way… keep cycling Burque!