Carlton Reid
Apr 30, 2020,Paris is to close one of the city’s principal streets to cars to allow more space for cyclists and pedestrians during the lockdown. Along the three-kilometer length of the Rue de Rivoli are iconic shops such as the belle époque Angelina patisserie, the five-star Le Meurice hotel, and the world-renowned Louvre museum.
The decision to ban cars—at least until the containment of COVID-19—was made by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo on April 30.
“I would like there to be an axis dedicated exclusively to bikes and another reserved only for buses, taxis, emergency vehicles and craftsmen’s vehicles, but not cars,” she told reporters.
France’s lockdown will be eased from May 11, but the closure of Rue de Rivoli to cars is planned to last throughout the summer, and could then be made permanent. The street is the Parisian equivalent of London’s Oxford Street or New York City’s Fifth Avenue.
Hidalgo had a significant lead in the mayoral elections held on March 15, the second round of which was canceled to contain the spread of the coronavirus. If, as is likely, she wins the next round of voting, she would be encouraged to expand plans to remove cars and car parking from the center of the French capital.
“Avenue Foch could be developed, and we would then run obliquely to Porte Maillot,” mused Hidalgo, reports Le Monde.
“We are working with the mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine, Jean-Christophe Fromantin, so that there can also be a bicycle extension to La Défense.”
Not everybody is happy with Hidalgo’s plans. Pierre Chasseray, leader of 40 Millions d’Automobilistes, a group with a reported 320,000 members and which lobbies against speed cameras and other “anti-motoring” initiatives, said:
“[The Mayor] is wrong to take advantage of the health crisis to accentuate its anti-car policy.”
On the contrary, the “epidemic requires giving space to the car,” he added, more in hope than expectation because space for motorists on Rue de Rivoli has been much reduced over recent years. The boulevard now sports well-used wide cycleways and sidewalks.
Au Revoir Les Automobiles: Paris Closes Rue De Rivoli To Cars – Forbes
Carlton Reid Apr 30, 2020, Paris is to close one of the city’s principal streets to cars to allow more space for cyclists and pedestrians during the lockdown. Along the three-kilometer length of the Rue de Rivoli are iconic shops such as the belle époque Angelina patisserie, the five-star Le Meurice hotel, and the world-renowned… [Read More]
