Remember, Paris wasn’t “always this way.” Not that many years ago, Paris was choking in car traffic. And it wasn’t a safe place to ride a bike for transportation, so not many people tried. This is new. This is a result of deliberate vision, and bold leadership. Cities are a result of choices. - ThreadSky

brenttoderian.bsky.social • 5 days ago

Remember, Paris wasn’t “always this way.”

Not that many years ago, Paris was choking in car traffic. And it wasn’t a safe place to ride a bike for transportation, so not many people tried.

This is new. This is a result of deliberate vision, and bold leadership.

Cities are a result of choices.

Comments

aabastian.com•5 days ago

Mobility impairments??

rabbiariel.bsky.social•5 days ago

and it was definitely not poll-driven!

jmgd2005.bsky.social•5 days ago

Toronto it can still happen ... if we can get Doug and the Thugs out of our way! #CANCELSTARLINK #FORDFRAUD

pmi73.bsky.social•5 days ago

That may be the hardest part. I had lots of optimism for increased bike infrastructure when our bike-riding mayor was elected. And she was getting things done. A bit more incrementally than I might have liked, but still getting it done.

pmi73.bsky.social•5 days ago

My blood pressure literally sky rockets when I think that Ford will carry through with ripping out all separated bike lanes on the main roads. I'm resigned to sacrificing Bloor lanes in Etobicoke but not to the rest.

tauriel1.bsky.social•5 days ago

15 years ago, I lived in Paris for 1.5 years. I would bike a lot and got in an accident bc the driver on his right turn just did not expect a biker. We were rare back then. So much has changed. I just wish Germany would take note.

depaneuse.bsky.social•5 days ago

I'm in London right now and I'm amazed at how many cyclist there are but also at how crappy the bike lanes (or lack thereof) are. It's pretty crazy and dangerous and it seems like the only thing limiting accidents is the speed. London is mostly limited to 20 miles/hour.

gpthakkar.bsky.social•5 days ago

And it took a woman mayor to lead this effort.

Women in charge get shit done.

lejuan.bsky.social•5 days ago

acerview54.bsky.social•5 days ago

Hired a bike, and rode in Paris, It's great.

spencerwindes.bsky.social•5 days ago

I rode a bike a bit when I lived in Paris in 2007. With very few exceptions, it was a harrowing experience. Now, when I visit, it doesn't feel like Amsterdam, but it feels a lot closer to it, and some major arteries are starting to feel very bike-y. It reminds me of visiting Copenhagen in 2012.

mohs8421.bsky.social•5 days ago

I recommend the beginning ~3 minutes of "Fantomas" to have a check on the contrast between then and now.

defeq79.bsky.social•5 days ago

It was also a medieval shit hole with no boulevards before Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann's reconstruction and removal of the cemeteries 1853-1871.

circulaenbici.bsky.social•2 days ago

El Urbanismo Táctico (bolardos y separadores ) se emplea desde hace años para construir de forma provisional algunas de los carriles bici de París con el liderazgo de su alcaldesa Anne Hidalgo y equipo

marcotrav.bsky.social•5 days ago

Indeed. Parisien depuis 40 ans, je confirme le changement radical. A mon arrivée à Paris, il était *rarissime* de voir un cycliste dans la rue.

sunsetfoglight.bsky.social•4 days ago

wow. i spent a year there over 40 years ago, & vous avez raison, il n'y avait pas de cyclistes.... du tout.

aoifemacnamara.bsky.social•5 days ago

Seen this, @andyfillmorehfx.bsky.social ?

schluetertom.bsky.social•5 days ago

Remember, Brent will continue to repost images from the COVID19 pandemic (when people fled cities' normally prevalent public transport) and sell them to you as an example of the successful conversion of former car drivers into avid cyclists.

ontherodphileas.bsky.social•5 days ago

🤣
(now, cry in silence please)
https://bsky.app/profile/briceperrin.bsky.social/post/3lk6jjd2tqk26

jedrek.me•5 days ago

are you getting paid for lobbying for car manufacturers, are do you lick boots for free?

photodouze.bsky.social•5 days ago

There are MORE people on bikes nowadays than when this picture was taken.

ange1874.bsky.social•5 days ago

There aren’t many masks in the picture. And many people have kept the habit of wearing face masks when they’re ill, preventing further contagion.
And Paris has definitely changed re transport.

ornogusvijan.bsky.social•5 days ago

The image does seem to be from 2020
https://momentummag.com/paris-cycling-numbers-double/
If you're trying to make a case about how things changed in the last few years, it does rather undermine your case if you use a 5 year old image.

ange1874.bsky.social•5 days ago

Point taken, but there's no denying the influence of the policy :
https://www.airparif.fr/surveiller-la-pollution/bilans-et-cartes-annuels-de-pollution

royalinterest.bsky.social•5 days ago

The smarter among us are still masking. For good reason.

#LongCovid

baronduffman.bsky.social•5 days ago

There are now more cyclists compared to what we saw during COVID lockdown...the bike lanes made temporary a few years ago are now permanent.

laineyk.bsky.social•5 days ago

Curious to know why you chose to make this about Covid masks, when the OP emphasized the biking boom out of safety, which actually really began with the Vélib in 2007 to counter frequent Parisian transportation strikes. People liked that it was easy, healthier, and it beat getting our bikes stolen.

tiennusmarcus.bsky.social•5 days ago

It's true that things have changed since the pandemic, bike usage has now surpassed cars in the city and the suburbs
https://www.paris.fr/pages/inedit-le-velo-surpasse-la-voiture-a-paris-et-en-petite-couronne-et-de-loin-26832

laineyk.bsky.social•5 days ago

But are they still getting stolen and sold at ‘le marché des voleurs’ ?

sandrallester.bsky.social•5 days ago

I’ve been looking forward to see this new version of Paris. Isn’t also the site of the French Revolution?

CyclesSmiles.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy•5 days ago

@brenttoderian.bsky.social btw: female leadership.

skelliefranky.bsky.social•5 days ago

Den Haag is the same! They’re actively removing car access and converting city centres into bike lanes. Society doesn’t have to revolve around cars, and life is so nice without them

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