Tuesday, March 26

Paris is Getting Many More Cycle Paths Due to the Corona Crisis

Many new bike lanes in Paris, which have been hastily opened for the mass cycling by commuters during the COVID pandemic, will be made permanent, the city’s mayor said.

 

After years of expanding the network of cycle paths in the French capital, city officials have designated 50 kilometres of additional lanes used by cars as cycle paths.

The measure was initially announced as temporary. “They will be made permanent, we are working on that,” Mayor Anne Hidalgo told Radio Europe 1 on Wednesday.

She said the increase in cycling Parisians has shown that cycling has become a credible commuting choice, and that “it also helps reduce pollution.”

Paris, other cities and the French government, have made great efforts to encourage cycling, as social distance rules make public transport uncomfortable. There is also a risk of infection with the coronavirus in the metro and bus.

The French government said this week that it would allocate an additional 20 million euros in subsidies for bicycle repairs, expanding a popular program to reduce congestion on public transport.

Leave a Reply