velo-paris-quais-violences-routie-res-rapport-le-b

New measures to protect Parisian cyclists

undefined undefined 19 mai 2025 undefined 07h30

undefined undefined 20 mai 2025 undefined 08h46

The Editor

© Hugo Dominguez / Le Bonbon

Forty measures to ease tensions on public roads and ensure everyone's safety. That's what a brand-new report dedicated to cycling offers, submitted this May to the Ministry of Transport. We're here to share a bit more about what it includes.

In last October, a 27-year-old cyclist, Paul Varry, tragically lost his life after being hit by a car. This heartbreaking incident occurred while the place of bicycles in the city was already at the heart of debates for several months, leading to a request for a comprehensive report from the then Minister of Transport, François Durovray. The results of the study have just been handed over to his successor, Philippe Tabarot. And here are the new measures proposed to ensure the safety of everyone on the roads.


A booming practice

For the past few years, unless you’ve been living in a cave, it’s impossible to have missed the rapid growth of cycling in the streets of the capital. It’s worth noting that with the implementation of numerous bike lanes, the financial aid à the purchase, or even the increase in the availability of bike-sharing options, everything is coming together to make cycling the ultimate mode of transport in the capital.

In fact, it has become a must-have. By 2024, a study by the Paris Region Institute reported a major rise in bike usage, with 11% of users, compared to just 4% for cars. The Boulevard de Strasbourg recorded 2.4 million bike rides in the past year alone. The same trend is seen with the vélibs, whose subscriptions have increased by 12.6% in 2024.


A report that's more necessary than ever

However, it’s only natural that with the increase in users, there has also been a rise in accidents, the most notable being the extremely violent death of Paul Varry.

last October. A tragedy caused by the lack of tolerance from some users, and especially by the lack of consideration for the various dangers present on the pathways.

To address this situation, a team was formed to create a report. After hundreds of hours of consultation, here are the various measures that were mentioned. First, strengthening the enforcement of rules for both drivers (through video surveillance) and cyclists. Next, there was the suggestion to implement a unique color code citywide to highlight the infrastructure reserved for cyclists. Finally, there were also proposals such as establishing bike courses for "new cyclists," integrating more questions, and a stronger awareness campaign.

Help for cyclists during the passage of the Highway Code and the license. Or even more frequent contexts, like in car ads, where cyclists don’t exist, and drivers are presented as the kings of the road.


A long road ahead

However, while we can only applaud the efforts made by the team to put this report together, we regret some of the measures included, which are a bit lightweight and are unlikely to change much. One of the most telling examples: the name change of the Highway Code to " Public Road Code ". Not sure if that will really move the debate forward, but why not…

The bicycle associations in the capital, interviewed by Parisien following the publication of the report, have also raised a few concerns about it. Marion Soulet, spokesperson for the association Paris en Selle, for instance, regrets the lack of direct penalties in cases of observed traffic violence, unlike what happens with major speeding or cases of driving under the influence. Alexis Frémeaux, president of Mieux se déplacer à bicyclette (MDB), goes even further, simply stating that “the report misses its subject.” The conclusion is : it .there's room for improvement, but it's not there yet.