Cycling in Paris

R.I.P. Paul Varry

On October 15, 2024, Paul Varry, 27 years old, was murdered by an SUV driver while riding his bike. This is not hyperbole: the driver has been arrested on the charge of murder for intentionally ramming into and driving over the bicyclist. There were plenty of witnesses. Impatient with the slow-moving traffic, the driver moved into the dedicated bike lane, bumping into Valery, who banged on the car. The driver then mowed him down.

I mentioned in an earlier post how much safer I feel biking in Paris than in SF. The death of Paul Varry has shaken me to the core and has me wondering whether that sense of safety is an illusion. In the wake of Varry’s death, bicyclists have been posting videos of incidents with drivers who cut them off, pass too close for comfort, swear at them, and even drive in the dedicated bike lane. Since Varry’s death, there have been demonstrations throughout France advocating for more bicycle safety. In Paris, as in SF, some drivers view bicyclists as their enemy and the use of city streets as a zero sum game, with any gains for bicycles viewed as a loss for cars. As the city government improves pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, certain streets –- including, most recently, the entire arrondissements 1 through 4 — are now car-free, except for residents, delivery vehicles, and taxis. Many other streets are being redesigned by broadening sidewalks, adding bike lanes, and reducing the number of vehicle lanes. Rue de Rivoli is a prime example of the former, and Boulevard Saint Michel of the latter. Most streets have traffic calming measures — fewer lanes, more traffic signals — so cars usually can’t drive very fast. And we know that speed is an enormous factor in whether a pedestrian or bicyclist will be hit, injured, or killed.

A recent study (April, 2024) published by the Institut Paris Région shows that more trips are now made by bike than by car: “According to the study, 11.2% of intramural journeys are now made by bike, compared with just 4.3% by car (in 2010, according to a study by the Institut Paris Région, cycling accounted for just 3% of journeys in Paris…). This proportion is also reflected between Paris and its inner suburbs, thanks in particular to the many cycle paths linking the capital to adjacent communes: 14% of journeys are made by bike, compared with 11.8% by car!”

A significant difference between Paris and San Francisco imo is that Paris has a very functional public transit system, so there’s much less of a “need” to drive. I understand that not everyone can bike, and I share the frustration with the woefully underfunded and unreliable Muni public transportation system in SF. By contrast, in Paris, in addition to the Metro, there’s an excellent light rail system (RER) connecting central Paris with the suburbs, and more lines are opening all the time. One of the most recent additions is the above-ground T3 tramway circling the periphery of Paris. It’s part of a broader effort to enhance Paris’s public transport options, aimed at alleviating congestion and providing new connections to key transit points. Public transportation is busy at all hours and subways run every few minutes late into the evening. I have absolutely no hesitation to ride the subway from one end of Paris to the other at close to midnight, whereas I would never get on Bart or Muni at that hour — partly because it doesn’t feel safe and partly because I’d have to wait at least a half an hour for a bus or train.*

I tried to find information on why some people still prefer to drive in or into central Paris, in spite of the hellish traffic and extremely high cost of parking. All I could find is anecdotal and what you might expect: not having to wait for connections or delayed trains, not having to lug heavy objects (e.g. children) up and down Metro stairs, not having to pack yourself into a crowded train car and smell your neighbor’s armpit.

And yet the road rage is there; I just hadn’t been aware of it until now. The driver who killed Paul Varry was driving his teenage daughter to an optometrist appointment and was running late.

We recently joined Paris en Selle, the local version of the SF Bicycle Coalition.

* I’m afraid I must also revise my opinion on Metro safety, as yesterday, November 17, 2024, friends of our were attacked and robbed on the subway on their way to a party at our apartment. My friend, N’s necklace was literally grabbed off her neck. Apparently, the thief was being followed by two plain-clothes police officers, who arrested him as he was dashing off the train. Our friends were taken to a police station, where they gave a statement, identified the thief, and retrieved the necklace. And then – to our absolute delight – they came to our party.

Our new bikes: 2nd hand, 3 speeds. They get us from A to B.