Cycling Through Paris

How do you get around the city? 

It’s great to see how Paris is finally embracing cycling. It used to be that these bikes were used mostly by tourist, but France has acknowledged the benefit of making it easier for cyclist, tourist and Parisiens alike to get around the city. 

These “bike lanes” are part of the expansion that has made it easier to get around town. One of the most prevalent is the path along rue de Rivoli to Place de la Concorde. It basically travels east to west and allows you the freedoms to not have to worry about cars and buses. 

Bikes are still being used on the streets. However, if you pay close attention these bike lanes are popping up more and more throughout Paris. Of course with these new lanes comes the need to think about wearing a helmet. It used to be that most people thought it was not cool to wear one while riding a bike. However, that stigma has changed, safety is important. 

 Another thing you will notice if you look closely enough is that more and more Parisiens actually have their own bike. It may be because the bike sharing system is not functioning as they anticipated or just because they want to ensure they always have a secure transportation when they are ready to go back home. Regardless, one thing is for sure the Vélib unfortunately has too many problems to be reliable.

The good news is that there are more and more options popping up throughout the city to encourage you to use this form of transportation. So far these are the available options Ofo bikes, Gobee and oBike. We will just have to see how receptive everyone is in following the rules when it comes to the sharing system.

I for one would love to see more and more people using the bikes as a form of transportation if it cuts down on the traffic. For now all I can do is my part in riding a bike around this beautiful city.