Cyclist helmet on the head. Mask on the face. Electric bike at the foot. This Wednesday afternoon, from 4.30 p.m. to 6 p.m., Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris, traced her route on the cycle paths carried out under her mandate and the temporary improvements - what associations call the Corona-tracks -, i.e. 50 km additional reserved for bicycles, created to favor this mode of movement and encourage motorists to leave their car in the garage at the time of deconfinement.
Meet on avenue de la Grande-Armée, 17th century side. Accompanied by Christophe Najdovski, his transport assistant, it will be a great first: "Finally, we can take the tunnel under Place de l'Etoile" rejoices the socialist mayor. "It has been two or three years since we asked the police headquarters to open up to bikes," adds his deputy at Europe Ecologie Les Verts (EELV). Access by avenue des Champs-Elysées is still poorly signaled. Concrete benches prevent crossing. But it's a start.
VIDEO. Bicycle paths and epidemic: what is tactical urban planning?
For Anne Hidalgo, who uses her personal electric bike, bought two years ago, the descent of the Champs-Elysées is the culmination of more than a year of work. "The yellow vests crisis has greatly delayed operations," she regrets. Today, the journey, the sun aside, is a pleasure.
New cycling facilities
Since the fall, it is also possible to take the Concorde tunnel, separated by a secure concrete railing. Along the Tuileries garden, the huge planter (made for 450,000 euros) takes on its full extent this spring. “The Architects of French Buildings (ABF) were against it. We had to fight. I even appealed to the prefect. And we won, ”says the cyclist of the day.
For those who have not taken it for a few months, the Tuileries tunnel is now illuminated with a successful play of colors. The culmination on the banks and the Conciergerie in the distance is most beautiful. “We had thought of reserving the lower banks for cyclists. But that would have been difficult to set up, ”explains Christophe Najdovski in passing. Here, you have to slalom between strollers and pedestrians.
New developments on the Pont au Change encourage the crossing of cyclists. "But the prefect refused to have them extended before the prefecture," denounces Anne Hidalgo. The standoff between the two city authorities is not always easy.
"Some tracks could become final"
But the rest of the route is already taken by storm by cyclists: Quai Saint-Michel, whose track extends into the 15th, is "magic", according to Anne Hidalgo. "I use it almost every day to come from the 15th, where I live". Notre-Dame, Orsay, the Louvre… The stages are unique.
Paris Newsletter
Every morning, the news of your department seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
To stay in the 5th district, rue Saint-Jacques for the ascent and boulevard Saint-Michel, for the descent, are now real boulevards for two wheels. They double line 4 of the metro. "I would love them to stay all the time. Some may well become final, ”the mayor begins to dream.
It is indeed the wish of associations. “We have been asking for some of these amenities for years. And there, as if by miracle, with the deconfinement, the prefecture, the ABF give their agreement ”, surprises Olivier Gombert de Vélorution, ready to defend these new achievements.
Soon the duplication of line 13 open to bikes
This Thursday morning the development of part of the avenue du Général Leclerc (XIVth) should be carried out. In the coming weeks, a duplication of metro line 13 should be open to cyclists.
Meanwhile, wisely, respecting the traffic lights and the pedestrians, Anne Hidalgo is making her way. “I made an exception by stopping at red. But I respect, ”she says. No way to set a bad example. The second round of the municipal elections is at the end of the track.
VIDEO. Why are “Coronavirus” cycle paths increasing in the world?