“As long as the ring road remains, the Greater Paris Metropolis will remain an administrative fiction” | EUROtoday

Lhe figures communicate for themselves: in 2001, 1.3% of inner journeys in Paris had been made by bicycle; in 2023, they rose to 11%. The automobile has gone from 15% in 1991 to lower than 5% of every day journeys at present. The cycle community has elevated sixfold because the begin of the 2000s. Nitrogen dioxide air pollution has fallen by 40% in ten years. This transformation, carried out via controversy and authorized recourse, was essential for the local weather and public well being. But she’s solely midway there.

First unfinished venture: the ring highway. This 35-kilometer freeway surrounds Paris, simply 5 kilometers from Notre-Dame – a singular case amongst main European capitals. More than a 3rd of journeys are from suburb to suburb: Paris is crossed by a transit infrastructure, no native service. The transfer to 50 kilometers/hour in 2024 has decreased noise and accidents, however so long as the ring highway stays, the Greater Paris Metropolis will stay an administrative fiction. Transforming the freeway right into a boulevard, the gates of Paris into actual squares, creating city continuity with neighboring communities: it is a main problem for the subsequent mandate.

Second problem, much less seen, however simply as decisive: the battle for information. Today, Google Maps and Waze direct the journeys of thousands and thousands of Ile-de-France residents in line with their very own algorithms, clogging up residential streets by dumping transit visitors on them. Uber has a dynamic map of Parisian journey with unequaled precision – origin, vacation spot, occasions of every journey – however this information stays its unique property. Self-service bicycle operators and supply platforms like Amazon map our every day flows, with out public authorities having actual entry.

Political braveness

Tomorrow, the problem will likely be even larger. Robot taxis [de l’entreprise américaine] Waymo already carries out 450,000 weekly journeys within the United States and is getting ready their arrival in London. Those from Baidu [équivalent chinois de Google] have exceeded 17 million journeys, primarily in China, whereas the corporate is negotiating its institution in Switzerland. These driverless taxis will accumulate large information on our actions and can compete with public transport for essentially the most worthwhile connections.

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