Just over thirty five years ago, in 1989, I. M. Pei’s ‘Louvre pyramid’ was completed. Prior to this the courtyard that now surrounds it was a parking lot. Of course this was just a small beginning to a less car-centric city but one that has accelerated almost unimaginably under Mayor Anne Hidalgo. In 2001, the city had 200 km of bike lanes and now boasts over 1,000 km of bike lanes, along the supporting infrastructure (i.e. bike racks), to support the boom in cycling. Paris has the goal of being a 100% bikeable city by 2026. Bike trips have seen a steady increase and now represent over 11% of trips within the city. To put this in context, before the pandemic bike trips represented less than 5% of trips. Several articles have been written showing a decrease in air pollution over Paris though there is still room for more improvement.
But Paris is not alone in this trend toward a more bicycle friendly city. Amsterdam and its kindermoord movement was instrumental in turning a very car-centric cities into the bicycling mecca it is today. Vienna is also a very bicycle friendly city with over 1,600 km of bike lanes and a commitment to grow the network each year.
What is happening in your city? Cars and traffic are bad for both individual and population level health from a variety of perspectives - from injuries and fatalities to greenhouse gas emissions to land used for parking that could be used for such things as housing. Is there an opportunity that with more coordinated public support could lead to a less car-centric city?