Paris Commuting

OldSkoolKona

Interesting youTube video from a cyclist in Paris :shock: :shock: , very well put together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAethD1Io_Y

jimmcdonnell

It was interesting watching that, and I wonder if (apart from the fact it was a 'greatest hits' compilation of all the bad moments in a regular commute) the rider was on a Ve'lib rental bike? They're a really good Parisian innovation but they are by their very nature ridden by itinerant and often erratic cyclists, and are strangely 'invisible' even though their numbers are huge.

I've ridden a bike through Paris a few times, usually crossing from one side to the other as I transferred between train stations going to or returning from French tours. Every time, I've found the drivers there very aware and courteous; in fact the last occasion I was riding a recumbent trike and towing a trailer, and at one particularly tricky point I was trying to negotiate a large roundabout in the centre of Paris with a high degree of uncertainty, and a white van man stopped in the middle of the roundabout - his right of way - and waved me through with a smile (albeit nearly hidden behind his comedy French moustache).

I've no doubt bad driving is endemic in Paris as it is in any big city but with enough collected footage I think anyone's regular commute could be edited to make it look as hair-raising as that one...

Harry B

looks worse than London for cars and lorries :?

jimmcdonnell

That's not the impression I get when I'm in Paris - the most significant difference between here and there is that thanks to Haussmann's rebuilding work from the 19th century Paris is a city of large, wide streets which can (and do) take more traffic than London. London's streets still largely give away its medieval roots, so larger vehicles tend to detour around the centre.

I do think the cycle lanes on the pavement in Paris are a bad idea though, I certainly regularly get caught out walking idly along them only to be shouted out of the way by cyclists wanting their right of way.

Christophe3967

Interesting - clearly a montage can show whatever you like, but I have never trusted Parisian drivers and it would seem that their scooterists are even more prone to Random Acts of Muppetry than those in London. :shock:

lost_in_thought

Cycling and being driven around Paris were two very different experiences for me - I approached some policemen with my velib and asked them what policy was for cycling on pavements versus roads when there was no obvious cycle lane.

They responded that cycling on pavements, although not specifically permitted, was tolerated by police, especially in tourist areas, and told me how to navigate the network of tourist cycle lanes.

I only really cycle around the very centre and some suburbs, but it seemed that drivers were very considerate most of the time, despite my slower moves (navigational issues) and slight propensity for trying to be on the wrong side of the road!

Being driven, however, can be a very hairy experience indeed. It seems that the worst roads to be driven on have good cycle provisions.

OldSkoolKona

I love the bit at the end, initially you think 'what is this child doing cycling on the road' and then it pans out. Classic.

Agree that there is an aspect of collecting lots of incidents, and also 'looking for incidents' in some of the cases, but the scooters do take the biscuit. Cool video, well put together and nice sound track.

Fireblade96

Never cycled in Paris, but I lived there for a few years and commuted by motorbike.
That's where I learnt to ride assertively, until then I got scalped by scooters on a regular basis !

lost_in_thought

Reminds me, on seeing the video, of a conversation I had with a taxi driver about whether or not scooters are allowed to use the cycle lane - his response was basically 'not officially but they all do'...

I think you could do about thesame montage in London, although there are fewer vehicles on the pavement!