Île-de-France prepares network of pop-up bike lanes for post-confinement

Île-de-France has announced plans to roll out a network of pop-up bike lanes in preparation for the easing of confinement measures.

The plans will see 650 kilometres of pop-up 'corona cycleways' created across Paris and the wider Île-de-France region in advance of the lockdown measures starting to ease in France after 11 May. "The health crisis required us to rethink our mobility system", declared Valerie Pécresse, President of the Ile-de-France Region and Ile-de-France Mobilités, the regional transport Authority.

Before the Coronavirus crisis, Île-de-France had already committed to making cycling easier across the region. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo had committed to every street becoming cycle-friendly by 2024. However, fears of congestion in both Île-de-France and the French capital caused by increased car traffic after lockdown measures are eased have allowed officials to set out this significant proposal for a network of bike lanes across region.

€300 million will be provided to part-pay for a mix of new infrastructure and temporary 'corona cycleways', 60% of which will be financed by the Île-de-France region. The cycleways mirror the routes of the RER metro rail lines into Paris, including an 'express' version on Rue de Rivoli, REVe, for use of e-bikes. The pop-up cycleways will be marked with traffic wands.

You can read more about Paris's plans for post-lockdown mobility and avoiding increases in car use in this article from Citylab.

To read the full details, please see this press release from Ile de France and this article from Forbes.