Chain reaction: Bikes and pedestrians do battle in Covid-era Paris

Parisian commuters of their 1000’s reacted to the Covid-19 epidemic by ditching public transport and strolling or biking as a substitute, however now they discover themselves preventing one another for area on the crowded streets. Twice each day throughout rush hour, throngs of cyclists teem by central Paris, in lots of locations utilizing cycle lanes specifically widened to encourage individuals to keep away from cramming into the metro the place they danger spreading the illness.

At junctions and pedestrian crossings, the movement of cyclists intersects with a movement of individuals on foot. On event, cyclists journey by crimson lights, or pedestrians step out right into a cycle lane with out wanting. Accidents and near-misses are frequent. “Cyclists are not so careful with pedestrians. They just keep going,” stated Nadine Lefebvre, a 66-year-old retiree. “This morning on the pavement, a bicycle slalomed around me, because he could no longer pass on the road.”

In September final yr sensors in Paris detected a mean of 55.eight cyclists per hour across the metropolis; this September the determine is as much as 97.2 per hour. Paris metropolis authorities have despatched out marshals to maintain order within the cycle lanes, and so they say they’re imposing on-the-spot fines of as much as 135 euros ($157) for cyclists who break the foundations. David Belliard, deputy mayor of Paris, stated he needed to create a “pedestrians’ committee” to attract up proposals on the right way to higher share metropolis streets with cyclists.

“We must protect the pedestrians,” he stated. Previously, probably the most heated turf battle on the streets of Paris was between vehicles and different, greener types of transport. Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo has partially settled that argument, by proscribing entry for vehicles in lots of streets. Her final purpose is to pedestrianise the town centre. The part of Paris’ Rue de Rivoli thoroughfare that runs previous the Louvre Museum used to have three lanes of site visitors and a cycle lane. Since May this yr, personal autos are banned, and three lanes are given over to cyclists.

(This story has been printed from a wire company feed with out modifications to the textual content. )

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