While road violence and the role of cars in the capital have been at the center of debates in recent weeks, especially following the death of Paul Varry and the increase in parking fees for SUVs, the capital is moving forward with a new measure that might split opinions. Indeed, by December 31, 2026, municipalities in France must have implemented the Mobility Orientation Law (LOM), which entails making pedestrian crossings safer. Paris intends to get a head start on the rest of the country by a year.
Protecting pedestrians at all costs
Every year, the streets of Paris unfortunately bear witness to dramatic and fatal accidents involving pedestrians. According to...
In the regional and interdepartmental direction of environment, urban planning, and transportation (Drieat) of Île-de-France, there is one death every 15 days in the City of Light. This is an outrageous situation that David Belliard, the deputy at the City Hall in charge of transportation and mobility, is determined to fix as soon as possible.🔴 FLASH - #Paris : fin 2025, toutes les places de #stationnement devant des passages piétons auront disparu.
— FLASH INFO Ile-de-France (@info_Paris_IDF) November 18, 2024
👉 Pour #sécuriser et améliorer la visibilité, la Ville a déjà retiré les places de stationnement en amont de 90% de ses 40.000 passages piétons. (Lp) #SécuritéRoutière pic.twitter.com/rEaPHt1lQa
And the observation is clear, clearing the area around a crosswalk would drastically reduce the risk of incidents, mainly because this measure would allow for better visibility, both for pedestrians and drivers, "especially when it involves van-type vehicles," specifies the elected official. A project for the benefit of everyone, but it requires a significant investment, considering that the capital has nearly 40,000 crosswalks.
A transformation already well underway
Fortunately, regulatory work on crosswalks has been underway for quite some time by Anne Hidalgo, and today only 3600 remain to be updated, which is just a small 10% of the total in the city. Most .are located in the southern and western districts of the capital, more resistant to change. And at the same time, it's there that you'll find the majority of parking spaces, as well as car users and SUV owners.
A #Paris, les automobilistes n'ont toujours pas bien compris le principe du passage piétons. pic.twitter.com/30VeBSdJqU
— AUTAN - Usagers Transports Aisne Nord oise somme (@AisneNord) October 18, 2019
Anyway, the Paris Council, which will take place from November 19 to 22, must vote on the approval of the budget needed for these latest transformations (5 million euros presumably), in order to quickly finalize the safety of Paris’s studs, and thus complete the work that has already begun thanks to the reconfiguration of over 10,000 spots since 2019. In any case, this is fantastic news for walking enthusiasts.