Paris is set to invest €200m in expanding its cycling infrastructure and increasing safety at dangerous junctions by 2032. The plan, announced on Wednesday by Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire, aims to create safe, connected routes across the city.
Paris has long positioned itself as the ‘capital of cycling’, with local authorities systematically reshaping streets to provide more space for pedestrians and cyclists. Currently, the French capital has 454km of cycle paths, but the new plan proposes a significant expansion.
According to the plan, Paris is to build an additional 140km of cycle tracks, with 220km of one-way streets adapted to allow bidirectional cycling. Furthermore, 420 junctions will be redesigned to make them safer for cyclists.
The city plans to deploy more police officers to oversee traffic and enforce regulations protecting cyclists and pedestrians. Statistics show that cars were involved in around half of all cycling accidents in Paris, which further explains why safety at junctions is a key objective of the new plan.
Cycling in the French capital is on the rise. Since 2020, cycling has increased by 47 per cent, with local data indicating that one in ten residents now cycles to work. By comparison, in 2017, just 4.8 per cent of the population cycled to work, showing a significant shift in residents’ travel habits in recent years.
