Limited speed, carpooling… What is Anne Hidalgo's plan for the Paris ring road?

This is an ambition displayed by Anne Hidalgo and her team since the 2020 municipal elections: to transform the Paris ring road, “the busiest highway in Europe”, into a peaceful urban boulevard. After the lowering of the speed to 70 km/h decided by Manuel Valls in 2014, the establishment of a lane reserved for carpooling as well as the lowering of the speed to 50 km/h could be the next major changes implemented. place on this 35 kilometer circular axis. “These announcements are nothing new, they have been discussed many times and are perfectly consistent with the climate plan of the City of Paris,” Emmanuel Grégoire launched this Thursday. The first deputy mayor of Paris nevertheless concedes that “the coming weeks and months” would serve “to deepen the work of dialogue” to allow this project to become reality. But what is it? When will it see the light of day?

Based on the “very simple observation” that there are “still too many cars on the ring road”, Parisian elected officials have decided to act and above all to take advantage of the dream opportunity offered to them by the organization of the Paris Olympics. 2024 to perpetuate the famous “Olympic path”. The one which will reserve a lane of the ring road for accredited people only during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Concretely, it will therefore be a question – once the Olympic Games are over – of maintaining the installations put in place on the ring road to definitively ratify this dedicated route. As a true “legacy” of the Olympics. Even if they need the agreement of the Paris police headquarters, and therefore of the State, on the question, they aim to achieve their goals by September, “a few weeks after the Olympics”.

Concretely, the left lane of the ring road would then be reserved for carpooling except for heavy goods vehicles automatically excluded, for public transport vehicles, for occupied or empty taxis, for people with disabilities, even alone but holders of the CMI-card. S as well as vehicles of the emergency services and security forces. They will be able to take the left lane, during the “activation time slots”, which could be from Monday to Friday, from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., but also on weekends if necessary. “The days and times may change depending on usage,” as specified by the Parisian municipality, which is free to activate or deactivate the dedicated lane “in real time” “to take into account the state of traffic and react according to situations” such as an accident or traffic jams.

For this, “specific signage” will be installed “at the entrance ramps”. “When the diamond is lit, it will mean that the path is active,” explains David Belliard, the deputy mayor of Paris in charge of mobility and the transformation of public space. Signage which will not be deployed on the entire ring road, but only on its northern part between the Sèvres and Bercy gates. The southern part, which adjoins the Ministry of the Armed Forces towards Balard, being an area placed under the jurisdiction of the State. However, Parisian elected officials do not despair of being able to integrate it very quickly into their system.

Proper compliance with all these rules will be checked “by video verbalization” and “analyzed by a sworn agent”, specifies the mobility assistant. At least 5 radars, a sort of “intelligent” control box, will be scattered approximately every 7 km on the ring road, including one at the Porte de Montreuil (20th) and another towards the Porte de Saint-Ouen (17th) . All capable of counting the number of people in each vehicle. Violators will face the risk of receiving a fine of 135 euros. First, during the Olympic Games, for people who take this route without being officially “accredited” by the Olympic Organizing Committee (Cojo), and after the event, for all those who do not respect the rules laid down by the Parisian municipality.

Also read: Do you approve of Anne Hidalgo’s decision to lower the speed to 50 km/h on the Paris ring road?

And it is within this framework that lowering the speed to 50 km/h could be decided, “for safety reasons”, the elected officials assure us. “It is a recommendation from Cerema (center for studies and expertise on risks, mobility and planning), an independent organization, which asks us to reduce the speed to make this route work,” continues David Belliard . This reduction in speed would thus make it possible, according to the objectives of the City’s climate plan, “to limit noise for the 500,000 residents”, residents along the ring road, and “to reduce atmospheric pollution”. But is it even possible to make such a decision? “Our analysis is that the municipality has control over the issue of speed,” retorts Emmanuel Grégoire. However, the elected socialist – who evokes “a historic and therefore unmissable opportunity” to take advantage of the Olympics to complete this project – concedes “not being able to move forward alone”, without the help of the State on all these points. It remains to be seen whether the Paris police chief will choose to validate this project which concerns Parisians, but not only.

Between one and 1.5 million journeys are made on the ring road, often by people who are only going around the capital. Saying they are well aware of this, the elected representatives of the Parisian majority intend to continue discussions with neighboring municipalities and work jointly on a larger scale “with the Greater Paris metropolis, the departments, the Île-de-France region and Île- de-France Mobilités (IDFM)” as well as with all “carpooling players” with the aim of encouraging and developing carpooling lines. Wishing to serve as a model in this sense, David Belliard announced this Thursday that “a platform” dedicated to carpooling “for the 55,000 agents of the City of Paris” would soon be put online “to encourage the practice”.