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The very first Dutch roundabouts installed in Paris

undefined undefined 19 décembre 2025 undefined 07h30

The Editor

© Hugo Dominguez

Often left to the sidelines by public authorities, Parisian intersections are undergoing a major transformation. The City of Paris is now testing new "Dutch roundabouts" designed to enhance the safety of cyclists. While they are still a work in progress, they definitely show a shift in direction and a desire to create a harmonious coexistence between bikes, taxis, buses, and pedestrians.

If you regularly ride your bike in Paris, you have probably noticed these new, unusual setups. Their name: Dutch roundabouts. It's a new feature that arrives a bit late in a city that is ahead of the rest of France in terms of cycling infrastructure.

To really understand this evolution, we need to go back a few years. Since the 2000s, Paris has seen the emergence of its first real bike lanes, sometimes installed on sidewalks, like on the boulevard des Maréchaux. These setups were a bit messy and chaotic, wouldn't you agree?

But it was especially during Covid that everything sped up with the famous "coronapistes" popping up in the capital. These are temporary setups, and…cés à la hâte in yellow paint or separated by concrete blocks, but quickly made permanent. Problem: intersections often remain high-risk areas, poorly designed, where the cyclist becomes invisible again. 


A slow development, crossroads by crossroads

The intersection of Rue de Sèvres and Boulevard de Montparnasse, Boulevard des Invalides perfectly illustrates this gradual evolution. Until 2020, the space was almost exclusively dedicated to cars and buses, with only a rarely respected bike lane as a concession. In spring 2020, yellow markings appeared, ensuring a cycling continuity across the intersection and requiring drivers to yield.

On paper, everything looks good... but anyone biking in the area knows that the setup remains quite limited, covering only one side of the intersection, with a few concrete barriers and very hesitant markings. We'll have to wait until 2025 to see the entire intersection redesigned!

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Resulting in an improved version, but still incomplete, even though this time it's equipped with some plots, a classic white paint job, and the ever-present traffic lights. It's sort of a beta version of the roundabout in the Dutch style, but far from the ultra-readable Dutch model. Not everyone can be Amsterdam! 


A model that naturally stands out, despite the criticism

Officially recommended since 2021 by Cerema, under the name " bike roundabout with inner circular islands ", this type of setup is based on a simple principle: the cyclist has priority over cars leaving the roundabout. Already successfully tested in Créteil, where cyclists feel seven times safer than before, the concept is gradually gaining traction.

In Paris, the Porte Dauphine offers the best example, with a dedicated two-way bike lane separate from car traffic. But it's outside the capital where the most successful versions can be found, in Rennes, Caen, Clermont-Ferrand, and even Bures-sur-Yvette. For instance, in Clermont, the roundabout at Place des Carmes has recorded no accidents in the six months since it opened in 2024.

So yes, while they are often referred to as "headaches" or "quagmires", these "bike roundabouts" prove their effectiveness at busy intersections. And while Paris has yet to reach the level of Amsterdam, the goal is now set: in the capital, biking should no longer be an exception, but good a priority.