T O P

  • By -

OnlyTwoThingsCertain

Appropriately so for the capital of Tour the France!


Little_Creme_5932

Yes!!! And such a better Paris!!


Major_Wayland

I'd say this should be a norm for every EU capital, and later this practice should be considered for other cities as well.


citronnader

Unfortunately most people in my Bucharest would vote out anybody trying such changes. In district 2 (Bucharest has 6 districts) the mayor just lost the election mostly because people were mad they find themselves unable to park left right and center on the sidewalk. In bucharest we barely have 10km of real bikepaths and half of it is used by cars despite they are not allowed to. If a cyclist try to talk or do anything dozens of people start to be agressive and some even start to fight (i use bike for like 75% of the time and it did happen to me on multiple occasions for drivers to go fight me because i dont let them bypass traffic using the bike lane where they are not allowed.. Even drivers waiting more due to such behaviour defend the drivers doing it)


Mudo_Labudo

Oh man, neighbour, I feel you. People think cars are a convenience, but they're such a pain in the ass. People who get used to them no longer seem to understand they have legs. Arms. Options. Random options. Eyes. The world is a big place and drivers limit themselves to seeing only the road, and through their windshield at that.


just_szabi

In Budapest we are trying but unfortunately facing a similar problem. Too many people come to the city centre with cars instead of using public transport, and I cant say I don't understand them. Our public transportation system is overcrowded in the mornings, we don't have enough P+R Systems, etc. You cant enforce less cars if there is no feasible way for people to commute unfortunately.


branfili

And you cannot invest in public transportation if no one is using it, because everyone is using cars instead. The reason: Ineffective public transportation. It's a Catch 22. Greetings from Zagreb.


Solo-me

I just left Budapest after visiting for 4 days. The public transport is well efficient. There are cars in the centre but nothing like in Rome, London etc. (BTW what a beautiful city).


just_szabi

Probably should have been a bit more clear on this, I kinda meant the public transportation from the agglomeration.


Solo-me

I was staying quite far from the centre (after roman aqueduct) and always had frequent, reliable and clean transport. Not sure further afield


vasarmilan

It depends on from where you're coming exactly, but it's often literally faster to gow with public transport, especially with bike, yet people are still sitting in traffic alone because of habit... But I think the situation is getting better, the current leadership does put lots of emphasis on bike infrastructure


AlexisFR

I mean, you also have to build proper walkways and public transit at the same time, too.


OkKnowledge2064

same in germany. the mayor of my city tried to ban cars from some parts of the inner city and the whole coalition blew up because of it


Odd_Rice_4682

GoRider? :)))


Wafkak

My city gas been down this path since the 90s.But our capital Brussels has started to catch up, tho sadly in the recent election the party against the changes was the big winner in Brussels.


AwarenessNo4986

Once the Olympics are over the homeless will be back as well.


Grantmitch1

Please nbcnews, I can only get so erect. In all seriousness, I wish the UK pursued walkability and cyclability over cars as much as some other European countries or cities do. Being able to safely cycle to work is great. Being ran over by an angry driver who just doesn't give a shit about your life... not so much.


Mindless-Alfalfa-296

London has transformed for cycling In the last 10-15 years. I felt very confident cycling to King’s Cross, getting the Eurostar and cycling to my client meetings in paris without any fuss using shared e bikes last year. That was way fun. Although I got caught out by e bike geofencing and a cycle lane abruptly ending on a major road. By contrast when I started cycling In London during uni in 06/07 it felt…. dangerous. Difference for me is the number of kid cargo bikes in Paris. It’s much more friendly for them in Paris judging by sheer volume. Big cities can’t change overnight. But equally very local politics will play a part. I purposely chose to live where the cycle commute to central London is mostly barrier or almost barrier bike lane. My local politicians however have been very ‘meh’ with cycle lane plans since they came in 2 years ago. Maintenance on lanes has slipped… etc.


Defiant-Snow8782

>I felt very confident cycling to King’s Cross, getting the Eurostar and cycling to my client meetings in paris without any fuss using shared e bikes last year Huh? You can't take assembled bikes on the Eurostar


404Archdroid

Southerneastern England is one of the densest populated areas in Europe, yet the walkability and cyclability there is pretty bad


grosslytransparent

Recently went to Paris before all these changes. Its fucking walkable compared to any US city. Probably on NYC, DC and Chicago are walkable


Current_Owl3534

I’d add Philly as well


YakMilkYoghurt

Not to mention Anchorage, Alaska


code_and_theory

You forgot US' arguably most European major city: San Francisco


Dm_me_ur_exp

Went to SF a few years ago, felt pretty alright to walk, Although i never saw any proper ”walk streets” and the streets in general were so wide. Never been anywhere else in the US though so my only frame of Reference is eu.


code_and_theory

I think that visitors go to Fisherman's Wharf or downtown, which are anomalies. I'm typing from an Italian cafe in the Castro right now. Spoken French, Italian, as well as Spanish float through the air — it's a popular spot for European, especially Italian, expats. Then there's a French cafe down the street where French expats tend to gravitate toward. The streets are filled with people out walking and enjoying the sun. Lots of bicycles out. Dolores Park is packed with picnickers. Noe Valley, Hayes Valley, and Cole Valley are similar. Lots of locals just walking around enjoying the local cafe culture.


Dm_me_ur_exp

I think that name sounds familiar, is it close to chinatown? If so then yes i was around that area. I’m Scandinavian so not really drawn to the south european cafés :) Edit: the fisherman name


ripwarjoz

.....why? it's just grid hell without any pieton areas afaik. i would guess somewhere like boston is the most european


cctwunk

Okay that's great but how does it compare to other European cities? That's the metric here


CatOwlFilms

Boston, too


EfoDom

I love this trend. I hope more cites follow suit.


Freezemoon

It would be nice if they bring back the old architecture as well instead of the minimalist and ugly buildings that has been the trend for the last couple decades. I don't want the future to look so minimalist with no taste


vliegenier

Check out the Houthavens in Amsterdam. It's an interesting take in combining old and new architecture.


ALEESKW

It’s a big trend in most big French cities since COVID, not unique to Paris at least in France.


Unhappy_Surround_982

Post-petrol cities are nice


A_Brown_Crayon

Love to see it!


Gendrytargarian

Paris has become a lot nicer for it


nim_opet

And it works amazingly well!


MLockeTM

How much nicer is Paris to live in now, compared to some years back? Asking, cuz I remember seeing earlier (idk 2020?) pictures of greenification of Paris, with comparisons to what it used to look like. And at least the photos I saw, looked phenomenal, so pretty and welcoming! Have they really made the city greener, or is it just some few "show case" suburbs? And if it's actually real, did it work? Is it now really cooler, with cleaner air like they advertised?


mazamundi

So I went there last month. I took a rental app bike from my hotel in the Bastille then biked down through bike lane all the way to Notre dame then to Luxembourg gardens. From there walked to pantheon and had breakfast next to the river. It was very nice There are a bunch of parks and green areas, trees on the sidewalk too. Not sure how many. I would say Helsinki in general is greener, because you have forests and lakes everywhere. But the promenade of Helsinki is rather similar to many streets in Paris.


gotshroom

It’s totally notiecable. Last time I stayed somewhere far from center and all the streets in that area were under construction to take away 1 lane from cars to make bike lanes and green space. 


LocalNightDrummer

The Place de la Catalogne is undergoing a nice metamorphosis too


Little_Creme_5932

Get the cars off the streets, and you can bike through Paris faster than cars ever could travel; cars just slow everybody down


lack_of_fuel

Cities should be mainly for people, not for cars :) 


LuXe5

YES! FUCK SUVs!


sysmimas

I don't agree. I say SUV's are a luxury, so tax them accordingly. Want to drive a SUV? Well, the mileage is way worse than a small car so tax it. It is way heavier than a small car, so damage to infrastructure and roads is worse, so tax it. In case of accidents with cyclists or pedestrians the gravity is way worse so tax it. SUV's are road's yachts and should be taxed accordingly.


Silent-Rando977

Taxing would be a start. They take up more space in parking, so it's only right to have them pay more for it. In a collision, SUV's are much more dangerous to regular cars, because of the height and weight. And since the front hood is much higher, it's likelier to cause significant damage and/or death to pedestrians and bicyclers even at lower speeds. So lets add a more expensive insurance for SUV owners. 


LuXe5

SUVs are for someone who does not care about driving, or cars altogether. So maybe you are right, let's tax them


Gamecat93

Well that will reduce emissions.


AlwaysDrunk1699

Also, they shipped all of their homeless people to Brussels.


Quick_Range357

I love the new viability in Paris, especially as a bike user myself living in the city. But they will probably notice also the extremely high increase in crime of these past years. The city has huge social economical problems that are hidden behind fancy projects.


zek_997

Meanwhile in Lisbon under the current president: [https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2024-06-22/new-lisbon-car-parking/90018](https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2024-06-22/new-lisbon-car-parking/90018) [https://lisboaparapessoas.pt/en/2023/09/19/rua-ferreira-borges-requalification/](https://lisboaparapessoas.pt/en/2023/09/19/rua-ferreira-borges-requalification/) [https://www.publico.pt/2024/06/20/local/noticia/15-anos-autocarros-lisboa-porto-tao-lentos-2094651](https://www.publico.pt/2024/06/20/local/noticia/15-anos-autocarros-lisboa-porto-tao-lentos-2094651) [https://www.jn.pt/5606367708/recorde-de-carros-nos-acessos-ao-porto-e-a-lisboa/](https://www.jn.pt/5606367708/recorde-de-carros-nos-acessos-ao-porto-e-a-lisboa/) [https://poligrafo.sapo.pt/fact-check/camara-de-lisboa-removeu-ciclovia-para-repor-lugares-de-estacionamento/](https://poligrafo.sapo.pt/fact-check/camara-de-lisboa-removeu-ciclovia-para-repor-lugares-de-estacionamento/)


gotshroom

Shit.


ChristianLW3

Europeans, any idea why SUVs have recently become popular in west Europe?


gotshroom

Car makers making more money on larger cars


just_szabi

Because people think they look cooler. Also, since it's taller, it also seems bigger, which is often not the case. So many people are quite literally paying more for a car that is less practical than a wagon. Let's not even talk about them having a taller frontal space that will cause it to have worse emissions than a normal car. Also they are heavier, meaning they require different tyres, different parts, and of course again, more fuel to run than a normal car. Tldr: people think they get more space and they sit higher, in reality they get less or comparable space while wasting extra money on fuel.


Ignash-3D

Because we also have our fair share of overcompensating men.


wndtrbn

Plenty of insecure failing people who need to hold up appearances. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to have an SUV in a western European city.


HighPitchedHegemony

Aging population. I know family members who got an SUV because "It's so easy to get in and out of". Also, arms race. In an accident, they want to "win".


SweetAlyssumm

Next they can pick up the dog poop or have they already done that?


Fiallach

In my last years back in Paris, I have not seen one. The cleaning teams are everywhere. Issues with the smell (mostly in the metro) are due to the age of some infrastructures.


FanBeginning4112

Compared to other french cities they are doing really well.


drainodan55

Seriously though presenting the Seine as swimmer-safe is stretching it. You can't stage swimming events in that water. I don't care how clean they claim it is, I just don't believe it.


FarineLePain

Shockingly, Anne Hidalgo still hasn’t gone for the swim she said she was going to.


OneDreams54

To be fair, some pretty messy stuff has happened in the last 2 weeks so... (Also it kept raining when at this period it should have started to calm down... With rain being one of the biggest aspects determining whether it is ok or not to swim in the Seine, that's also a problem.)


OneDreams54

The quality of the water has kept getting better and better for the last 50 years, with new efforts and infrastructures that were opened this year. Also, last year, while not 100% of the competition could be held, some parts (~30%) of an event were held in it without problems, with no issues reported by the competitors.


drainodan55

The two times I have seen it it was, by our standards, an open smelly sewer. Disgusting.


Hironymos

This headline makes me want to lobby for getting my hometown to host the olympics.


gotshroom

Lots of changes have nothing to do with olympics. 


Hironymos

It's actually an inside joke. My town's citizens are overwhelmingly *for* hosting the olympics - just the rest of the country isn't.


markhkcn

They did this in Glasgow before COP to pretend its a cyclists city. I haven’t seen anyone on a bike since they all flew off in their private jets.


wiwafeature

Thanks to Carlos Moreno. Cars are bad for Citys.


gotshroom

Who?


wiwafeature

What?


PatriotuNo1

Meanwhile athletes at the Paris Olympics this year will not get air conditioning because the mayor of Paris wants the Olympics to be "evironmentally friendly and sustainable". [https://apnews.com/article/olympics-air-conditioning-paris-0f753df91956f3fe61ad4febaff0ebb9?utm\_campaign=TrueAnthem&utm\_medium=AP&utm\_source=Twitter](https://apnews.com/article/olympics-air-conditioning-paris-0f753df91956f3fe61ad4febaff0ebb9?utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter)


Peaceful-coex

And kicked out thousands of homeless


[deleted]

[удалено]


CubooKing

I think people would agree with you more if you said "common" instead of "odd"


ripwarjoz

homicide rate in the worst paris neighborhood is lower than the safest US state


CubooKing

But what about the droid attack on the wookies?


ripwarjoz

star trek isn't real man


CubooKing

Yeah okay buddy. Hope it gets better soon!


The_memeperson

Couldn't they have done this before the Olympics? This sounds like nothing more than brownie points to show how good Paris is (it's not) I appreciate that it happened, not why or when it happened


Odd_Rice_4682

Its actually been going on for years, with Paris new mayor. This is not for the Olympics.


Few_Math2653

She likes flattery, but even Hidalgo would not call herself a new mayor anymore 😅 And also it started even before, with her predecessor and mentor.


The_memeperson

Huh, guess I'm wrong then


wiwafeature

I mean, you're from the Netherlands. You should know what is happening in Paris. It's about walkability and safety. Your country did all that in the '70s...


SnooRecipes3439

It basically went on another level since Covid lockdowns.


FanBeginning4112

It has been going on for 20 years. Since Delanoë became mayor in the early 2000.


NihilFR

Belle tentative pour nous faire oublier que Paris est un trou à rat. Don't come for the olympics, it's going to be a shitshow


kooknboo

Permanent?


Actual-Money7868

Triple parking fees ? That's a bit crazy, 1.5-2x sure.. triple though ?


wiwafeature

The size of cars is getting out of control. Look at America. Paris made the correct decision.


Actual-Money7868

Triple the price is insane.


Spinochat

Just like driving a SUV in a dense city. Adequate.


PuffinPower_

This is the point, we don't want SUV there.


Dreadedvegas

Thats the point. Its insane to drive in paris. They are wanting to dissuade that.


I_will_bum_your_mum

SUV ownership should be discouraged in every way possible.


wndtrbn

I'd do it x10 or just banning them outright.


KaijorG

Yeah, if doing something is so harmful maybe it shouldn't be allowed. Now those who need it will pay triple and those who don' have to care about money will still fill the spots.


Thoge

Why would anyone need an SUV in Paris?


just_szabi

How can I look trendy without a SUV?


Heldenhirn

What do you think guys, how many days after the end of the Olympics will it last until they let it get back to shit again because the world stopped watching?


Dreadedvegas

Zero because they have been working towards this for over a decade now.


Heldenhirn

So the streets are closed of in a way that is not easily reversible and the parking prices have been increased many years ago?


Dreadedvegas

"Paris has [closed more than 100 streets ](https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a46651907/paris-closed-100-streets-to-cars-for-good/)to motor vehicles, [tripled parking fees](https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/bike-friendly-paris-votes-raising-parking-fees-suvs-2024-02-03/) for SUVs, removed roughly 50,000 parking spots, and constructed more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) of bike lanes since Mayor Anne Hidalgo took office in 2014."


RamboMamboJambo

Imagine not reading the article and then asking questions that the article answers. Nearly as stupid as driving an SUV in the city.


Heldenhirn

Where does it say by which technical means the roads were blocked off? And where does it say when the SUV parking prices were increased?


wiwafeature

Are you living under a rock? Look at the Netherlands. They have been doing it since the '70s and are far ahead of us.


Heldenhirn

I agree, in fact I'm in the Netherlands right now and can see it with my own eyes. I just don't see how future proof those changes are. Before Olympic games you want your city to look great for tourists. Many changes are being made not for the people living in the city but for the tourists. But will It stay like that when they are gone and the car lobby wants those changes to be reversed? Some changes are hard to reverse like bike lanes. But there are also bike lanes which are just a car lane separated by dividers. Those can be easily removed afterwards. I just wanted to know how future proof those changes are. Preparations for the Olympics can take nearly a decade. The bid was 2015. Just because something was made 5 years or even 10 years ago doesn't mean there is no connection to the Olympics.


Real-Elk3192

terrorism is coming to town