Two months after the brutal death of Paul Varry, meetings between cycling associations in the capital and Paris officials are multiplying to implement sustainable, effective, and safe solutions. The focus is on revising traffic in the most dangerous routes and intersections in the capital. And this Thursday, after yet another meeting, an action plan was proposed by the city hall, the Paris prefecture, and associations. Let’s explain everything to you!
Safety in the Spotlight
A few weeks ago, the largest cycling associations in Paris, like Vélos en Selles, presented a worrying observation. According to them, the capital has over 200 dangerous routes and intersections for bike enthusiasts. The main issue, more often than not, is a lack of signage and proper infrastructure.
specialized. The city had then committed to study this map and offer solutions quickly.#paris 22 secondes d’une vélorue accidentogène @ParisEnSelle @LCyclable
— Francis Fichot @francisfichot.bsky.social (@FrancisFichot) December 16, 2024
entre l’av. Parmentier et le bd Jules Ferry. Les raisons : flux vitesse, largeur de la voie, voitures stationnées pour livraison… pic.twitter.com/geYdUoHvgi
And it seems that, for once, the promise is being kept, because on December 12th, the city unveiled a number of decisions. First of all, a collaborative effort with information exchanges, statistics, and indicators to try to understand the reasons for the accidents. In total, a budget of 50 million euros has been allocated for the year 2025-2026, dedicated to improving around thirty routes deemed the most dangerous.
Enhanced controls
Another major project highlighted last Thursday, the strengthening of security teams directly in the streets of Paris. A preventive action, which will notably involve increased fines to protect users.more vulnerable, namely the pedestrians and the cyclists. Because while we’ve already seen a car crush someone who loves gentle mobility, the opposite would surprise us a bit.
"Respectez au minimum les règles, elles ne sont pas faites pour embêter le monde mais pour notre propre sécurité." Sebastien est agent à la Direction de la Prévention, de la Sécurité et de la Protection (DPSP) et son outil de travail, c'est le vélo ! pic.twitter.com/5PrbNeJ8f1
— Paris (@Paris) November 28, 2019
The police forces will also be much more active in areas deemed most at risk. They will be there to help promote good understanding among the various people present, but also to provide prevention and educate certain users who clearly have some gaps in their knowledge of the traffic code. We can’t wait to see all of this in action!
