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To accommodate the social distancing needs during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, 50 kilometers of short-term bike lanes, that have come to be known as 鈥�coronapistes,鈥� popped up across Paris. But by 2022, with the city buzzing back to life, many of these coronapistes had become permanent; most famously, rue de Rivoli is now open only to cyclists, buses, taxis and emergency vehicles. While Paris already ranked among the top ten bike-friendly cities in the world, coming in at number 8 on the index, the coronapistes helped Mayor Anne Hidalgo move closer to her goal of transforming Paris into an eco-friendly, sustainable, and bikeable green metropolis. Between the 2024 Summer Olympics and a generous financial investment from the city for pro-bicycle infrastructure, Paris鈥� bike revolution is officially here. For the 91吃瓜网community, the increasing ease of cycling as a mode of daily transportation for our students, faculty and staff is just one more reason to love Paris.

Beginning with her 2015鈥�2020 Velo Plan, Mayor Hidalgo famously banned car traffic from the left bank of the Seine in 2013, the right bank of the Seine in 2016, and the rue de Rivoli in 2020. Her crusade against cars was often controversial, but these initial measures have been key to the city鈥檚 transformation into a bike haven. And it seems to be working: a regional survey conducted between 2022 and 2023 by the Institut Paris R茅gion published in April 2024 found that residents of Paris used public transport as their primary mode of travel around the city, with the bicycle as the second most common mode. The survey further reported that 11.2% of trips in Paris are made by bike, compared with 4.3% made by car鈥攁n impressive change from 2010, when, in a study by the same organization, cycling accounted for just 3% of travel across Paris.

With the 2021鈥�2026 Velo Plan, Paris boldly announced its goal of becoming a . Featuring an investment of 250 million euros in cycling infrastructure, the plan has thus far entailed over 1,300 kilometers of green bike lanes added to Parisian streets since 2020; an expansion of the V茅lib鈥� fleet, with 20,000 bikes in total, making it one of the largest bike-sharing systems in the world; an increase in the number of bike racks on buses and secure bike parking facilities at train stations; and the 鈥淐oup de Pouce V茅lo鈥� program, which provides financial subsidies of up to 200 euros for the purchase of a new electric bike and up to 50 euros for bike repairs.

In preparing for the 2024 Olympics, the city further accelerated its push toward eco-friendly modes of transportation by adding a network of 60 kilometers of cycling paths across the greater Paris region to make all the Olympic venues accessible by bike, along with an additional 10,000 temporary bike rack spaces. These new cycling paths have since been made permanent, and the bike racks have moved to schools, sports centers and other facilities around Paris.

The impact of Paris鈥� biking revolution on AUP鈥檚 community is clear. For Provost Hannah Westley, 鈥淐ycling to work is one of the great pleasures of my day. The changing light on the Seine and the city鈥檚 architecture always give me an instant lift. These sights, and the effort of concentration now required to stay alive in increasingly crowded bike lines, make this a time during which I can clear my thoughts, focus and prepare for the day ahead.鈥澛�

AUP鈥檚 Director of Human Resources, Stephanie Buisson, echoes Dr. Westley鈥檚 statement: 鈥淐ycling is the fastest way to get to work from home and the most environmentally friendly. For me, getting around Paris by bike is faster and more pleasant than taking the metro. It shortens my journey time by ten minutes or so, but also lets me enjoy the sights of the capital. I鈥檓 lucky that most of my journey is on cycle paths along the quays. The bike lanes give a reassuring feeling. You still have to stay focused and vigilant, though, because cars can go fast, but so can other bikes, which are increasingly numerous and fast on the road.鈥�

Despite some concerns about safety and secure bike parking to avoid theft, cycling in the City of Light is set to become only more impressive, easy and fun. AUP鈥檚 students are also joining in and taking full advantage of their city鈥檚 bikeable streets. Undergraduate student and avid skateboarder Daria Minhas says he has been biking around Paris as his main mode of transportation since he moved here over a year ago. 鈥淐oming from New York, I was pleasantly surprised to see how much biking infrastructure Paris has, as well as the fact that it鈥檚 the most efficient and cheapest way to get around the city,鈥� he explains.聽

To further accelerate Paris鈥� bike revolution and the sustainable, eco-friendly promise that accompanies such a shift, the city is developing business partnerships to salvage and restore old or wrecked bikes, thus promoting a circular economy. The 脦le-de-France region also aims to create one self-repair workshop per arrondissement, for further educational opportunities and cost-effective solutions to bike ownership.聽

Could Mayor Hidalgo be this generation鈥檚 Haussmann, carrying out a widespread urban renovation that forever changes the look and feel of the French capital? Only time鈥攁nd Parisians鈥� penchant for bike riding鈥攚ill tell.