It really was! Of course, there was so much broken glass from the party the night before hidden on those wet streets that it was a little added stress, but we all managed. Thank you for the support 🙏 I really do appreciate it so much. Cheers! John
Indeed! My first visit was 2015, so the changes from then to 2022 were extraordinary... in Part Two of this video series I'll highlight some of the very recent improvements, especially near schools
Great to see some of my old commute routes, including Place Bastille, mostly improved since Mayor Bertrand Delanoé charged up the human energy culture in the early 2000s and passed the baton to Madame Hidalgo. John just compressed a decade of my life in 30 minutes.
Hi, if you didn't already plan this out, I recommend you go check the new infrastructure on the Avenue Charles de Gaulle, it is a very pretty and comfortable ride there And why not the bike lanes next to the tram lines on the Boulevards des Maréchaux
Oh, man, I would have loved to check those out. It would not have happened on this morning's ride due to time constraints, but next time for sure. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTownsBy the time you come back there the Avenue des Champs-Elysées and Avenue de la Grande Armée might even have proper bike lanes! There is a large renovation project planned there for after the olympics
@@aur.c YES! That is much needed and will be fabulous, especially if they dramatically reduced the number of cars. The biggest problem with the large blvds is how loud they are with all the motor vehicles
My children regularly sit on the back of my Bompton. They are still small enough that when they put their legs on the horizontal bar it doesn't get in the way. That is an important reason my partner now also has a Bompton, so the four of us can take the train without the need for additional transport.
What do you think of the bike give way signs above some of the traffic lights? At 1:07 you can see one with a little yellow arrow pointing right which I understood to mean give way to pedestrians on the crossing and continue if turning right at the intersection. 2:33 has a better view. It's hard to make out the arrow but at 5:11 there's bike give way sign with the yellow arrow pointing up (give way to pedestrians and go on straight) At 6:54 there's another one on the left of the bike lane but this time there's no lights for bikes at all. Looks like at 7:40 there's one for going forward and right. There's also seems to be another way to do something similar without having to add new signs. From 23:28 you can see flashing amber lights for both cars and bikes. Other cities like Barcelona use flashing yellow lights as well. What do you think is the best solution? You mentioned that there could probably even be less traffic lights needed and I agree in Paris there are plenty of crossing which didn't have any lights so it does come across as a bit inconsistent to have no lights, lights with give way and also lights with no give way for what looked like the same conditions. I think if this was done in a consistent way cyclists would know if there's a red light there's a good reason and will be more likely to stop. My problem is here in the UK they seem reluctant to have any vehicles including bikes cross a pedestrian crossing while it has a green light. There's also very different design standard and rules about the different kinds of crossings. You couldn't really have a light controlled crossing with lights only for cars but not for cyclists for example.
What do I think the best solution is? Well... In general, cities need to stop treating people walking, cycling, rolling in and on mobility devices as if they are cars... they are not. These traffic signals are to prioritize the movement of cars. The reality is, cars and dense cities such as Paris simply don't mix. The congestion, pollution, and safety hazards they bring make it clear that we need to shift our focus to more sustainable and effective modes of transport. We have to stop prioritizing cars. Paris is just begging for fewer cars. People rolling and strolling at human speeds can navigate these spaces with minimal control devices because they can make eye contact, read body language, and anticipate movements. Ditch the signs and signals. Rely instead on specific street surface designs for different zones - such as red asphalt for rolling at low to moderately low speeds (cycles, mobility devices, etc.), smooth, light grey pavers for people strolling, and a consistent third color and paver treatment that indicates that it is designed as shared space for people rolling and strolling. On streets where drivers of cars are allowed and will be sharing space with people rolling and strolling outside of cars, these drivers are not prioritized, they are the guests in the environment and they must proceed with caution and patience. Maximum speed limits within cities should be 30 km/hr. A word about freight logistics and taxis... much of the traffic you see on these streets fits into these two broad categories. I'd like to see a ban on free access of delivery trucks into the city. The majority of freight logistics should be shifted to a no-emission cargo-bike "last-mile" logistics model. Where this is not feasible, there would be a very controlled delivery time window when there are few people on the streets that no-emission vans of the smallest size possible are allowed to enter. For people wanting an "Uber," taxi, or limo ride - these would be the least efficient, and most costly forms of travel because car movement would not be prioritized. In Austin, we have pedicabs that do an amazing job of getting many people to our biggest events of the year such as SXSW and the ACL Music Festival, not mention throughout downtown the rest of the year... Both cycle logistics cargo-bikes and pedicabs dictate that we need to make our cycle paths wide-enough to handle these wider vehicles, but that won't be a problem because we've deprioritized the movement of cars and reallocated the space to these more sustainable mobility options. That's a lot to chew on... in reality, cities around the globe, including and especially Paris, are making incremental progress in these directions. The interim phases are always messy, so as I mentioned in the video, as a person riding a bike, as I was, it is best to just slow down, make eye contact with pedestrians, and use common sense and intuition as you navigate the current chaos. Thanks so much for watching and for your question. Cheers! John
seems like a descent cycle network there in Paris.. I think they should color code the bike lanes like the Netherlands.. France use blue a lot in their national unis.. it would be awesome if their bike lanes were blue..
Yeah, I have a personal preference for the Dutch red approach. I'm in Oslo now, and I'm seeing some amazing brand-new red asphalt bike lanes being built. Very Exciting!
Paris is quite beautiful after the rain! 😀
It really was! Of course, there was so much broken glass from the party the night before hidden on those wet streets that it was a little added stress, but we all managed. Thank you for the support 🙏 I really do appreciate it so much. Cheers! John
Last time I visited would've been 2017, the cycling infrastructure is unrecognisable but against the unmistakable background, what a trip ❤️
Indeed! My first visit was 2015, so the changes from then to 2022 were extraordinary... in Part Two of this video series I'll highlight some of the very recent improvements, especially near schools
@@ActiveTowns Looking forward to it!
Great to see some of my old commute routes, including Place Bastille, mostly improved since Mayor Bertrand Delanoé charged up the human energy culture in the early 2000s and passed the baton to Madame Hidalgo. John just compressed a decade of my life in 30 minutes.
And our time together is up next, Mark!
Interesting talk about the bike lanes on the city streets in Paris.
Thanks for tuning in! I know you'll agree... still too many cars. 😀
Hi, if you didn't already plan this out, I recommend you go check the new infrastructure on the Avenue Charles de Gaulle, it is a very pretty and comfortable ride there
And why not the bike lanes next to the tram lines on the Boulevards des Maréchaux
Oh, man, I would have loved to check those out. It would not have happened on this morning's ride due to time constraints, but next time for sure. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTownsBy the time you come back there the Avenue des Champs-Elysées and Avenue de la Grande Armée might even have proper bike lanes! There is a large renovation project planned there for after the olympics
@@aur.c YES! That is much needed and will be fabulous, especially if they dramatically reduced the number of cars. The biggest problem with the large blvds is how loud they are with all the motor vehicles
My children regularly sit on the back of my Bompton. They are still small enough that when they put their legs on the horizontal bar it doesn't get in the way. That is an important reason my partner now also has a Bompton, so the four of us can take the train without the need for additional transport.
Love it! 🙌
I enjoy your narration. it makes it really easy to understand what I'm seeing.
Awe, thank you! 🙏 Always appreciate having you along for the ride.
What do you think of the bike give way signs above some of the traffic lights?
At 1:07 you can see one with a little yellow arrow pointing right which I understood to mean give way to pedestrians on the crossing and continue if turning right at the intersection. 2:33 has a better view.
It's hard to make out the arrow but at 5:11 there's bike give way sign with the yellow arrow pointing up (give way to pedestrians and go on straight) At 6:54 there's another one on the left of the bike lane but this time there's no lights for bikes at all.
Looks like at 7:40 there's one for going forward and right.
There's also seems to be another way to do something similar without having to add new signs. From 23:28 you can see flashing amber lights for both cars and bikes. Other cities like Barcelona use flashing yellow lights as well.
What do you think is the best solution? You mentioned that there could probably even be less traffic lights needed and I agree in Paris there are plenty of crossing which didn't have any lights so it does come across as a bit inconsistent to have no lights, lights with give way and also lights with no give way for what looked like the same conditions. I think if this was done in a consistent way cyclists would know if there's a red light there's a good reason and will be more likely to stop.
My problem is here in the UK they seem reluctant to have any vehicles including bikes cross a pedestrian crossing while it has a green light. There's also very different design standard and rules about the different kinds of crossings. You couldn't really have a light controlled crossing with lights only for cars but not for cyclists for example.
What do I think the best solution is? Well...
In general, cities need to stop treating people walking, cycling, rolling in and on mobility devices as if they are cars... they are not.
These traffic signals are to prioritize the movement of cars.
The reality is, cars and dense cities such as Paris simply don't mix. The congestion, pollution, and safety hazards they bring make it clear that we need to shift our focus to more sustainable and effective modes of transport.
We have to stop prioritizing cars.
Paris is just begging for fewer cars.
People rolling and strolling at human speeds can navigate these spaces with minimal control devices because they can make eye contact, read body language, and anticipate movements. Ditch the signs and signals.
Rely instead on specific street surface designs for different zones - such as red asphalt for rolling at low to moderately low speeds (cycles, mobility devices, etc.), smooth, light grey pavers for people strolling, and a consistent third color and paver treatment that indicates that it is designed as shared space for people rolling and strolling.
On streets where drivers of cars are allowed and will be sharing space with people rolling and strolling outside of cars, these drivers are not prioritized, they are the guests in the environment and they must proceed with caution and patience.
Maximum speed limits within cities should be 30 km/hr.
A word about freight logistics and taxis... much of the traffic you see on these streets fits into these two broad categories.
I'd like to see a ban on free access of delivery trucks into the city. The majority of freight logistics should be shifted to a no-emission cargo-bike "last-mile" logistics model. Where this is not feasible, there would be a very controlled delivery time window when there are few people on the streets that no-emission vans of the smallest size possible are allowed to enter.
For people wanting an "Uber," taxi, or limo ride - these would be the least efficient, and most costly forms of travel because car movement would not be prioritized.
In Austin, we have pedicabs that do an amazing job of getting many people to our biggest events of the year such as SXSW and the ACL Music Festival, not mention throughout downtown the rest of the year...
Both cycle logistics cargo-bikes and pedicabs dictate that we need to make our cycle paths wide-enough to handle these wider vehicles, but that won't be a problem because we've deprioritized the movement of cars and reallocated the space to these more sustainable mobility options.
That's a lot to chew on... in reality, cities around the globe, including and especially Paris, are making incremental progress in these directions.
The interim phases are always messy, so as I mentioned in the video, as a person riding a bike, as I was, it is best to just slow down, make eye contact with pedestrians, and use common sense and intuition as you navigate the current chaos.
Thanks so much for watching and for your question.
Cheers!
John
seems like a descent cycle network there in Paris.. I think they should color code the bike lanes like the Netherlands.. France use blue a lot in their national unis.. it would be awesome if their bike lanes were blue..
Yeah, I have a personal preference for the Dutch red approach. I'm in Oslo now, and I'm seeing some amazing brand-new red asphalt bike lanes being built. Very Exciting!