Infrastructure 3/3 However there are still a lot of bad bike lanes in Paris. Here’s a video of rue de Rennes where it’s similar or worse than Valencia St: just paint but narrower. This street during the day does not feel safe at all given the amount of car traffic and foot traffic. It’s busy and confusing!
https://tube.tchncs.de/w/gJ8bEMaeGsocGyQ6RugdGF
#parisstreetdesign

Infrastructure 2/3 However I haven’t seen the use of metal bollards I was expecting. I was surprised to see flexposts on rue de Rivoli which I assume are to enable emergency response to use those lanes but Parisians will have to chime in on that.

Small flexposts:
https://tube.tchncs.de/w/tma82HZGn64jvJk8LRAtja
Beefy flexposts:
https://tube.tchncs.de/w/9iwcJ5ttwYCiRZzpqE8Lg8

#parisstreetdesign #flexposts

Infrastructure 1/3. There was a big push from the city to not only put in bike lanes but also install the whole infrastructure that goes around it; meaning that there’s high quality bike parking EVERYWHERE next to those popular bike lanes. Every 100 ft, there are 5 or 6 double-coiled staple racks.
https://tube.tchncs.de/w/wSjq6BG21BGiyc5FZePQCr
#parisstreetdesign

Cute. Because of counter-flow bike lanes on small streets, some intersections already have little lights for bikes. They are really cute.
Also the rue aux écoles are amazing! The mayor focused on street segments that have schools on them to turn them into pedestrian areas. No cars, just greenery and peace. SF, why are you driving your kids to school? Staring at you parents of C. Chavez Elementary, dropping off your kids clogging either Shotwell or the bike lane on Folsom…
#parisstreetdesign

- Sketchy. The intersections are not ideal. Way finding is not evident, especially because the ground markings often aren’t color coded, just white bicycle marings, and there are no vertical signs to tell you where to go. On a lot of intersections, bikes have to use the pedestrian light which makes it very confusing. Drivers in Paris often take the right-of-way from pedestrians. I almost got right-hooked by a car because of that.
#parisstreetdesign

- Change (2/2)The redesign is amazing, especially on Rivoli where they turned TWO CAR LANES into bike lanes going each direction. There’s so much space, it’s so pleasant, and it’s gorgeous. Cars are BANED. It’s just local traffic (meaning there’s abuse ofc) taxis and buses are on the one lane going west. It’s super quiet.
Video: https://tube.tchncs.de/w/uC1YSrAbrsgw4HYkMmcTWn
#parisstreetdesign

Here’s the video for Change 1/2
https://tube.tchncs.de/w/5b3Lw5htUqLRrhcmAsnox5
#parisstreetdesign

Change (1/2). Wow, rue de Rivoli and Bvd de Sébastopol are an absolutely a game changer. Those used to be car sewers, major westbound and northbound through fares respectively. Yes they had bike lanes there but they were just bus/bike shared lanes, typical of Paris. Think sharrow but on a BRT and for the car lanes level of traffic think Van Ness for Rivoli and any of those 4 lane one way street in SOMA for Sébastopol. my vidz are too large for me to post… brb, omw to Peertube
#parisstreetdesign

- Protected (2/2) Here I’m on bvd de Sébastopol going north. The separation is less drastic, just a little granit curb, but it some places there is bike parking and car parking separating the bike lane from the two car lanes. Notice how the bike lane is bi-directional whereas the car lanes are only northbound. This makes it very convenient for bikes and e-scooters to pass each-other as there’s so much more space.
#parisstreetdesign

- Protected (1/2) Here in the video I’m going NW on bvd de Magenta, see how the bike lane is entirely on the sidewalk, properly marked and fully protected by a granite curb and trees. The downside here is that it’s super narrow and heavily used, so you’ll see bikes go in the bus lane to the left to pass slower bikes.
#parisstreetdesign

Now to my impressions:
Network & Continuity
Wow. Paris now has a true network of bike lanes. I crossed 2/3rds of the city on protected bike lanes the whole way! When I say protected I mean protected by a granite curb, parked cars, trees or all of the above. Not plastic felx-post non-sense. Most of the bike lanes I took are truly continuous, meaning there are few segments where you have to go share a lane with cars. Take notes SF!
#parisstreetdesign
Video: short clip rue de Rivoli east bound.

On the way back, I then went from Marcadet-Poissonniers back to Gaité-Montparnasse where I’m staying, again using Barbès , Magenta [A] , Sébastopol [B], Rivoli [C] then cutting through the Louvre to rue des Saint-Pères, bvd Raspail, rue de Rennes [D] and ave du Maine.
The letters are where I took a few videos that I’ll post in the following toots.
#parisstreetdesign

Getting out of a restaurant, I first biked from Invalides to Marcadet-Poissonniers, making a point go through Concorde, Rivoli, Bvd de Sébastopol, Bdv Magenta and Bvd Barbès as those were the redesigned streets I had heard of the most
#parisstreetdesign

Yesterday, a very kind soul @emeline .fr lended me her bike and I went on my first few rides in this new post-pandemic Paris.
I had heard so much about the new bikes lanes that the mayor, Anne Hidalgo, had put in place during the pandemic. And it’s only the beginning. There’s a plan to have a “Commuter Rail for Bikes” by 2026
https://www.paris.fr/pages/un-nouveau-plan-velo-pour-une-ville-100-cyclable-19554
#parisstreetdesign

Alright here we go! A thread on my first impressions as a San Franciscan about biking in Paris!
🧵 🧵 🧵
#parisstreetdesign #bikeSF #bike #parisavelo

@psoul This picture 🚲😍

I just followed #parisstreetdesign, sometimes we (Parisian bikers) tend to focus on what still needs to be done rather than the efforts the city has already put in the infrastructures, it will be interesting to have your point of view!

Ride safely!

#parisstreetdesign
Ok I’m bike in the city of lights!
Huge thanks to @emeline for lending me a #bike out of nowhere!
I got some footage as I was biking back across the city at 1:30am.
Follow / mute this hashtag if you want / or don’t want to hear my opinion on #bikeinfrastructure in Paris
with an #bikeSF point of view.

A little shop rue de la Gaîté where you can #rent vehicles, including #ebikes! The text on the window suggests “weekends” or “moving”. I had never seen this growing up. You could rent bikes back then, but only at bike shops. This is pretty interesting, revealing of the change in attitude towards biking in Paris. Can you move with an ebike though?
#ParisStreetDesign

When I see this my SF brain goes to “How isn’t this low income housing already? What has the BoS done again?”
#ParisStreetDesign

Look at this other #parkingviolation. I really need to toot about bollards, it looks like they either omitted or haven’t installed them here yet. (Place du 18 juin 1940, Paris Montparnasse)
Still better than #SF where the sidewalk use is 50% car storage…
#ParisStreetDesign