In an effort to tackle its air pollution problem, Paris is putting all its weight behind an ambitious EUR 150 million cycling initiative, known as ‘plan vélo’. Whereas Seville, which turned itself from a cycle-phobic city into a cycler’s delight, took its urban ridership from zero to nine percent, Paris aims to triple the share of all trips made by bike from five to 15 percent in the next five years.
To do so, the city will double its network of bike lanes to 1,400 kilometres. 80 kilometres of this will comprise five protected two-way cycling superhighways running east-west and north-south alongside main roads and avenues, including the famous Champs-Élyseés. Additionally, motor-vehicle traffic will be limited to 30 Km/h on streets with cycling lanes and 50 Km/h on wider avenues. There will also be 10,000 secure biking parking spaces, as well as financial incentives for buying a bike.
Building on the city’s Vélib city-bike hire scheme – one of the largest in the world – the new plan looks to improve every aspect of the Parisian cycling experience. It takes into consideration each step of the cycling journey, from buying a bike, to parking it, to riding it in safety. Most importantly, the plan views cycling not as providing individual facilities, but as an integrated system.
Christophe Najdovski, the city’s head of transport and public space, told French daily Le Figaro, ‘The Netherlands has been working on [cycling] since the 70s. We have much work to do to get to this stage, but we are hopeful.’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tvYlUH9YRo
To see how Seville turned itself into a haven for cycling enthusiasts, watch the Seville edition of our ‘Bike Friendly City’ film series.
