There are many forms of transportation, and I seem to get in trouble with all of them. Bike follies II is the second chapter of French License exposing my foibles with la petite reine.
Meanwhile, Paris is attempting to become more bike-friendly. Where currently, bicyclists must jockey for position with busses, taxis, parked cars and motorists driving selfishly, soon they’ll have their own dedicated and protected bike lanes. A very long one is going up on the rue de Rivoli (parallel to the Louvre), and another along the Seine for several kilometres of the voie Georges-Pompidou. While this is fantastic for two-wheelers, practically everybody else is incensed at the mayor.
Hidalgo has arbitrarily done a land grab without consulting citizens, businesses that need to have goods delivered, commuters, or even the police who worry about being slowed down, or completely cutoff from coming to the aid of people. Her way of doing things has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. A book will be released this week detailing her actions and reactions: Notre-Drame de Paris, by Airy Routier and Nadia Le Brun. No wonder Airy Routier is against her. Hidalgo is anti-car, and ‘routier’ means ‘truck driver.’
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