How Paris Turned COVID Into a Biking Bonanza
Voulez-vous for a bike ride avec moi?
Today’s read is ~8-10 minutes.
Hi friends,
COVID-19 absolutely sucks, this is nothing new. So instead of focusing on that, today I want to talk about how cities are taking advantage of the reduction in traffic, the loss of commutes, and the shifting attitudes towards public transit and open streets that have come about in the last ~20 months.
Specifically, how these changes have left room for cities around the world to embrace a cycling (and micromobility!) revolution:
Both New York City and London set bikeshare usage records in the last ~20 months
Jakarta, Indonesia saw a 500% increase in cycling activity from 2019 to 2020
Bogotá, Colombia, already a regional leader thanks to its expansive Ciclovía bike lanes and car-free Sundays, added an additional 80km (~50 miles) of bike lanes
And many European countries allocated additional funding for bike lanes, repair vouchers, or keeping bike stores open (see table below)
This trend has turned tired, tattered turnpikes into terrific times for two-wheeled transportation, and while you could write articles about any of the places I just mentioned, today I want to focus on one in particular: Paris.
Yes, the city of fine wines, fine art, and that one tower they won’t shut up about has a new feather in her cap, that of a rapidly transforming cycling mecca. Today I’ll talk about how Paris has turned a fart into a flower and done an incredible job promoting cycling during the pandemic. I’ll look at why I think it’s great, who we have to thank (or blame, depending on who you ask), and what I think other cities can learn from them. Allons y!1
Today’s focus
So, raw numbers upfront, here’s what Paris’ pandemic cycling boom looks like:
Paris authorized 50 km (~31 miles) of new, temporary bike lanes to be built throughout the city.
They also spent €150 million euros (~173 million USD) as part of a broader €250 million euro (~$283 million USD) spending plan to make the city more bike friendly.
In September 2020 Vélib' Métropole (the city’s bikeshare system) hit a record high of 5.5 million monthly rides. For comparison, in the same time period NYC’s bikeshare program Citibike recorded less than half that, just 2.5 million rides despite having 3-4x the population of Paris ( ~8.4M vs. ~2.16M people).
This jump in ridership also saw a 6% increase in female riders (an often underrepresented cycling group) from 2018-2020.
The city is averaging a million cycle rides a day and has finally cracked the top ten of the world’s most cyclable cities, coming all the way from 19th back in the year 2013.2
Additionally, a national fund offering subsidies for bicycle repairs has been used by over a million French cyclists, so Paris’ cycling success is being somewhat mirrored throughout the rest of France as well.
Why it’s great
Frequent CityBits readers (aka CityBuds)3 will already know why I generally favor reducing (but not completely removing!) cars in cities. By and large cycling is a cleaner, safer method of transit when compared to personal automobiles. It encourages healthier behavior, reduces noise pollution, and is far more energy and space-efficient than cars in terms of individual commuting and transportation.
Additionally, in the post-COVID world many people are still wary of taking public transit again, with its enclosed confines and inability to social distance. Cycling offers an open-air, individual means of transportation for riders who can’t drive or don’t want to commute via subway/tram. Pre-COVID Paris was already drawing some residents away from cars towards cycling, and public transit wariness has only exacerbated this pattern. Combined with the city’s commitment to improving cycling infrastructure, this has led to an influx of new riders. In an interview with the New York Times, one French commuter noted that he bought a bike immediately after lockdowns ended, and though a little wary, he felt that “Having so many bike lanes motivates me more to (cycle).”
That’s a major reason why I’m so jazzed about everything going on in Paris; it’s not just making life better for existing cyclists, it’s actually attracting people to cycle for the first time as well. Over half of the citizens who cashed in a national subsidy for bike repairs had “rarely cycled” before the pandemic, and Paris’ bikeshare system also reported a jump in new memberships during the pandemic as well.4 The city’s success isn’t just that they’ve made it easier for existing cyclists, they’ve opened the doors for many people who otherwise may not have been cycling at all.
How’d we get here?
Cities are large, complex organisms so it’s often hard to attribute any new development to a single cause.
But.
In Paris’ case, even with the metric fuckton (or as the French say, un fuckton métrique) of moving parts that comprise a city, I’m going to argue that Paris’ pro-cycling transformation is largely attributable to one person: their fearless Mayor, Anne Hidalgo.
“It’ll all go under Hidalgo”
The daughter of Spanish immigrants, Hidalgo initially served as First Deputy Mayor of Paris from 2001-2013 before becoming Mayor herself in 2014.
Even before the big pandy-wandy, Mayor Hidalgo had already been making it easier for Parisians to cycle everywhere:
Since 2014, as part of her ambitious Plan Vélo, she has been building new bike lanes and repurposing parking spaces into other cycling or pedestrian infrastructure
In 2016 additional roadways along the famous Seine river were converted into pedestrian-only areas
And in early 2019 Hidalgo placed restrictions on older diesel cars that disproportionally pollute the air
So even pre-COVID, Paris was already upgrading its cycling capabilities. Then, when the pandemic hit and all of a sudden open-air, socially distanced travel became a hot commodity, Mayor Hidalgo doubled down on the efforts she’d already made by widening existing bike lanes and removing entire lanes for cars in certain areas. One prominent stretch of the beautiful Rue di Rivoli has even been nicknamed “The Corona Lane” after cars were banned and extra bike lanes and footpaths were installed.
And critically, Hidalgo has also been adamant that these are not just short-term measures. Remember those “temporary” bike lanes Paris created during the first few months of the pandemic? In May of 2020 Hidalgo declared that at least 50km of these lanes would become permanent fixtures, a number that has only continued to grow over the last year.
Why it works
So okay, Paris built a bunch of bike lanes, but how have they managed to maintain their success? There’s a few reasons.
Hidalgo’s continuing crusade
First, similarly to so many other successful city initiatives we’ve looked at, these pro-cycling changes have the backing of the city government itself.
In addition to all the measures already discussed Hidalgo has shown no signs of easing up on her crusade. In the last ~18 months she unveiled plans to ban thru-traffic in the city center (w/ exceptions for residents, deliveries, and the disabled), and also revealed plans to fully ban all diesel vehicles by 2024, and all petrol (gasoline) vehicles by 2030.
Cycling is cheap
Another reason why cycling has been successful in Paris is because compared to other transit/mobility options it’s a comparatively cheap one to implement. It’s a lot easier to build bike lanes than it is to dig a new subway tunnel or build whatever the hell Elon thinks he’s doing. The lower price tag, combined with the return on space, lowered emissions, and increased accessibility make it an attractive option for cities.
COVID boost
Hidalgo’s push for more cycling infrastructure has also been expedited by COVID.
“This crisis has made clear that we need to change the way we live, work and move,” said Morten Kabell, chief executive of the European Cyclists’ Federation. “In the era of social distancing, people are wary of using public transportation, and cities can’t take more cars. So they are looking to the bike as a natural mode of mobility for the future.” (source)
Like I already said, COVID has not only allowed the government to supercharge their pro-cycling efforts, it’s also inspired a lot of residents to take up cycling for the first time, both of which contribute to Paris’ massive jump in ridership.
Downsides
Now with any city initiative, there is bound to be some pushback. In Paris’ case, these take one of two main forms.
“I like cars and I’m unhappy”
The first downside is that there is less space for cars, and it does make it harder to drive through certain parts of the city. I’m obviously biased, but I feel like I’ve laid out some pretty clear reasons why…
More cycling in cities, and specifically the ways that Paris has gone about it, is a positive thing
An over-emphasis on cars is a bad thing
Now to be fair, some people cannot ride a bike, or don’t feel safe/comfortable doing so. That’s a legitimate concern, which is why I was pleased to see that when Paris announced plans to ban cars from traveling through the city center, they already factored in exceptions for residents, elderly folks, and disabled riders.
I don’t want any of these newsletters to come across as fully advocating for the removal of cars. I’m a big believer that bikes and cars can and should coexist in cities, but the current status quo for the majority of urban areas is a disproportionate skew in favor of cars. So while some might see Paris’ changes as an attack against vehicles, I (and the Mayor of Paris apparently) see it as more of a long overdue correction.
Adaptations to more bikes on the street
The second major downside has to do with safety. As pedestrians and drivers cope with the rapid influx of new cyclists there has been no shortage of complaints and concerns raised over a lack of oversight and potentially dangerous cycling practices going unchecked. Additionally, because there have been so many new cyclists and bike lanes put up in a relatively short amount of time, police are not always clear on where cyclists can ride, and the city is still testing out systems of fines for reckless riders, as well as adding cycling education classes for schoolchildren.
As David Belliard, Paris’ deputy mayor of transportation puts it:
“We are in the midst of a new era where bikes and pedestrians are at the heart of a policy to fight climate change…(b)ut it’s only recently that people started using bikes en masse, and it will take time to adapt.” (source)
Of course there will be growing pains, and unfortunately, I expect there to be more bumps, crashes, and accidents as Parisians (and urban residents around the world) continue to adjust.
So, what should we do?
A good way to understand how to smooth out this transition is to look at how well-established cycling cities have handled it. Take Amsterdam or Copenhagen, areas where cycling is commonplace and has been for many years. While they aren’t perfect, generally speaking in these cities pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers already understand how to share space and coexist after years of practice and cultural priming. Children learn bike etiquette in schools, pedestrians are used to a lot of cyclists passing by, and drivers are taught to especially check blind spots and share the road.
Part of this is also engineering, as you can build protected bike lanes and intersections in a way that acknowledges and designs for the differences in the size and speed of bikes vs. cars. This video here does a great job showing how proper road design actually makes things safer for drivers and pedestrians, not just cyclists alone.
This 2nd downside is a bit more complex, and as a result the response needs to be a bit more nuanced. I hope Paris continues to tinker with the best ways to increase cycling in a safe, productive manner, but no matter what I firmly believe these growing pains are a necessary evil for a greater long-term benefit.
Barriers to implementation
If you want people to change their behavior, you need to make it as easy as possible for them to do so. If you want people to cycle more, you can’t just restrict cars, you need to build bike lanes, offer discounts for folks who purchase new bicycles, provide subsidies to help fund bike repairs, etc. etc. A common argument I hear online and in-person is that certain cultures are just more prone to cycling, and that’s why it will/won’t work in certain cities.
I think this is basically total bullshit (or as the French say, merde totale) and here’s why.
Culture : Infrastructure :: Chicken : Egg
Growing up I lived in a suburb without real sidewalks and where everything was a few miles apart, so I never really walked or biked anywhere. It wasn’t until I moved to a city where I suddenly had everything I needed within a much smaller area that I even thought of that as a possibility. Similarly, it can be hard to imagine cycling within a city if you’ve always been used to driving or taking public transit.
I get it, it’s hard for people to imagine a change they’ve never experienced until it actually happens. But just because something DOESN’T happen often doesn’t mean it CAN’T happen often. Imagine how stupid it would be to go to a city without a subway, and then conclude that, because no one in the city rides the subway, they must not be a “big subway culture”. And yet, that seems to sometimes be the argument for many residents in cities without proper bike lanes and cycling infrastructure.
Does culture drive infrastructure? Or can new infrastructure help develop a new culture of transit/movement in cities? It’s an endless debate, but we’ve seen in history that cities can and have increased cycling even without much historical or cultural precedent for it. Additionally, if this pandemic has taught us anything it’s that we can adapt and find ways to make do even under the most trying new circumstances. So while I understand why people are hesitant, I think a lot of those fears are often more fear of change or the unknown, rather than legitimate concerns about cycling in cities.
Looking ahead
Impressive as their accomplishments are so far, Paris is showing no signs of slowing down, with plans to add an additional 180km (~112 miles) of bike lanes and triple the number of bike parking spots in the city by 2026. The city is also looking into updating building codes to ensure new developments include bicycle parking, not just space for cars, and Mayor Hidalgo has vowed to make the city 100% cyclable by the year 2026.
Conclusion
Overall, despite the growing pains, I’m thrilled to see what Paris has done in just a few short years. The term “smart city” gets thrown around a lot and implies that urban spaces must be equipped with the latest technology in order to improve themselves. But Paris is showing the rest of the world that the next step in urban evolution doesn’t have to be that way.
We don’t need 7G traffic lights or AI-assisted sewer grates. For sure, there’s a time and a place for high-tech innovation but if you can get great results with simple methods why not do it? So whether journalists call it a “bike boom”, a “cycling surge”, or a “global erection for bicycle transit”, it absolutely jacks me up (in a good way) to see a city like Paris taking these kind of measures with nothing more than a few buckets of paint and some sensible street design. It’s a trend that’s only picking up in cities around the world, and I’m looking forward to seeing just how big this wave of pro-cycling enthusiasm can get.
That’s it for today folks! Let me know in the comments why I’m wrong, otherwise until next time!
-Max
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It’s also worth noting that this index is from 2019, so it’s very likely Paris will be ranked even higher in the next poll.
CityBuds, CityBit(ches), CityBitty Committee, etc. lmk if you have any better ideas
Some of these numbers are attributable to tourism of course, but for today’s purposes I’m not sure it matters that much whether it’s permanent residents or visitors cycling.