After the Champs-Élysées, Place de la Concorde, and the forecourt of the City Hall, a new emblematic spot in the capital could soon undergo a drastic transformation. Just a few months ago, we shared with you the project by the Rivoli 2030 association to redesign this historic avenue, and now Emmanuel Grégoire has added his little touch to try to smooth out the traffic on this very busy street.
A new look for Rue de Rivoli
Since the start of his campaign, and even more so since his election, the new PS mayor of the capital has continuously focused on putting transportation and Parisian travel at the heart of his policy.
with two main goals : reduce tensions mainly caused by insecurities, and promote gentle mobility, such as walking, cycling, and also public transport (bus or metro, your choice)."Pour fluidifier la circulation des bus rue de Rivoli, le maire de Paris veut recréer le couloir dédié qui avait été supprimé en 2020. Un projet qui suscite déjà des réticences"
— Paris en vert (@paris_vert) June 8, 2026
Sage décision @egregoire ! https://t.co/AIq0yazlU4
To achieve this, the mayor has unveiled a project that broadly follows the vision of Rivoli 2030, which he hopes to implement in the next 3 to 4 years. This project involves widening the sidewalks to accommodate the flow of pedestrians (mainly tourists), renovating the historic arcades, and greening the area with more trees along the Tuileries canopy. And finally, the grand return of the bus lane.
One lane for another
This measure would concern the 1.4 km stretch that separates the Louvre from the Concorde, where buses currently take about twenty minutes to travel 200 meters due to traffic congestion. However, one of the two existing bike lanes is currently...should be removed, much to the delight of pedestrians, who often have to wait for long minutes before a two-wheeler decides to obey the traffic lights.
La rentrée vélo à Paris, dans les trottinettes en libre-service. Rue de Rivoli vers 19h. pic.twitter.com/9raX6O8YPi
— Emmanuel (@EmmanuelSPV) August 31, 2023
This project brings up another question: the issue of a new bike lane that's too narrow for two-way traffic to accommodate the number of people walking it every day. A plan to move the current separators is underway to try to make everyone happy in this situation. Because while Emmanuel Grégoire has stated that buses are just as important as bikes, he doesn't want to take action at the expense of the latter.