Paris' Emerging Cycle Network: My Reflections

To wrap up my Paris series, I get off the bike to give you my take on this emerging cycle network. Bottomline: The network is taking shape, people and pups are clearly enjoying it, and more needs to be done to decrease the number of motor vehicles in the city center.

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Credits: Video and audio production by John Simmerman

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Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.

Thanks once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2023

[bicycles-as-far-as-im-aliv]

Yes, yes! Paris heading in the right direction inch by inch. ❤it

[nattygirldred]

“Bikes are simply a tool, manifestation of mobility” best quote 👏🏾 Thanks John! Love this video so great.

[An-Ma]

Impressed with the progress in Paris. Still terrifying though… 👍🌷

[MarkCramer-xx]

Great photography. Re: "too many cars", most of those cars are NOT from Paris. The advocacy organization I belong to insists that the problem of too many cars involves fixing the suburbs, providing protected bikeways along the routes of the suburban train network, so people who live in the suburbs (many of them pushed out of Paris because of the housing cost), have infrastructure in place that will allow them to blend bike / train and not take their car into the city. Also "last mile" protected bikelane connections from communities to suburban train stations will make it attractive & sustainable for folks in the suburbs to get to Paris without using a car.

[nicholasperry]

The near-misses aren't quite what they seem. The car MUST give way to the bike but is allowed to turn into the new road before doing so. This is to ensure the bikes are approaching across the driver's field of vision which makes them much more visible than if approaching on a constant heading.
Families are certainly the litmus test for safety so things look good. Paris is learning better ways of improving and is becoming a much nicer city because of it.

[GurHaenouasHazourem]

Excellent! Wish you more opportunities to travel, have fun, learn, and spread the urgent knowledge of walkability! Most people aren't even aware that they have the right to expect to live in actual beautiful places. It starts by seeing these places in reality and understanding that they are possible ;)

[woutervanr]

1:25 What I like is that it actually doesn't even seem to be a q cargo bicycle. It looks like a normal bike, but with a really solid and substantial trailer!

Maybe the trailer has some kind of electric assist?

[richardkirkwood]

From your experience there, what do you think of the ban on rental electric scooters?

[bobbieboothroyd]

I had the line from Field of dreams going through my head all the way through that video. If you build it they will come. This video testifies to me that.its true in this case. And I wonder how many people their said it's okay for the Neverland's it's Flat their but this isn't the Neverland's. And yet it seems to work for them. When I see them great big wide roads on You Tube that are 6 Lanes wide I wonder if they could give up one or Two lanes for bikes. I'm no expert but it seems to me when you get a road that is conjested with Cars widening that road only seems to encourage more cars. That's my observation anyway. I do like the fact that cars can still use them roads so it doesn't favor one over the other.

[knarf_on_a_bike]

What's happening in Paris is beautiful! But it is a work in progress, and it seems the the progress needed has to do with the attitudes I've seen from some drivers. Your vidoes have shown impatience and even aggression that is not helpful. Still, a wonderful shift that we in North America can learn from!

[hahafalseflag]

Paris drivers doesn't seem to respect bikes or pedestrians.. I thought Paris was crazy when I was last there. when I was in germany I remember cars making sure they slammed on their breaks before they got anywhere near me.. Netherlands is the best of course. Most ride bikes so they totally respect bicycles and pedestrians..

[kailahmann]

About the delivery bikes: I guess with the traffic in Paris these are also much reliable. Delivering a pizza during rush hour by car probably ensures its cold and the customer has already starved to dead…

[Frahamen]

I mean if 6 people can walk next to each other than that's objectively not "super super narrow". It's just a street. North Americans are just way to conditioned to see oversized stoards that they can't properly space normal sized streets anymore.