The cycling revolution in Paris continues: Bicycle use now exceeds car use
It’s rush hour on Rue de Rivoli, one of the main arteries of the French capital. The bicycles pass one after another in quick succession, ringing their bell when a pedestrian crosses without looking. Five years ago, it was cars that monopolized this three-kilometer axis that runs in front of Paris City Hall and the Louvre Museum. Not anymore. Two-wheel transportation has prevailed, favored by a paradigm shift in urban mobility. The cycling revolution, promoted by local authorities, is beginning to bear fruit: according to a recent study by the Paris Région Institute, a public agency, bicycles already surpass cars as a means of transportation in the interior of Paris, accounting for 11.2% of trips compared to 4.3%. A similar trend is seen in trips between the suburbs and the city center: 14% are made by bicycle and 11.8% by car.
Rue de Rivoli, with its two-way cycle lanes and its dedicated lane for buses and taxis, is perhaps one of the most emblematic examples of the change that the city has experienced in recent years. But it’s not the only one. The perpendicular Boulevard de Sébastopol has become the route most frequented by cyclists, with figures that usually exceed 10,000 daily trips, according to the count kept by the association Paris en Selle.
