Rule of the road when cycling in Paris

[mez]

Hi all.

Let's assume I miraculously find some spare time on my next trip, that the November weather is kind enough to me and I have a credit card that allows me to rent a Vélib’ bike, so what then?

Cycling laws are strict here, so I just want to make sure I do the right thing when in Paris.

Helmets are not necessary - this I have seen myself. But can I ride on footpaths or just roads? Can I ride through parks? What other rules do I need to be aware of?

Thanks!
Mez

[Anne]

It is forbidden to drive on the sidewalks or on the "passages piétons" (the white stripes for the crossing of pedestrians) . Driving on pedestrian streets is tolerated as long as you drive at pace speed and you don't bother pedestrians .
I am pretty sure that you are allowed to drive in parks, but then the pedestrian streets rule above may well apply .
Driving with a mobile phone in hand is forbidden .
Every time you spot a piste cyclable or bande cyclable (see pics on the weblink), do use them, they are much safer than normal road .
Be very careful at crossroads, if you are not sure on how to handle some, you'd better dismount and handle them as a pedestrian .
You are expected to respect the same rules as car drivers, re. for example traffic lights . But always keep in mind that quite a few Parisian drivers are very easy re. traffic lights (as we put it, they drive while the light is "orange bien mûre" - very ripe orange), so again, be very careful at crossroads, even those which look easy enough .

www.prefecture-police-paris.interieur.gouv.fr/circuler/article/cyclistes_2roues.htm

[mez]

Thanks Anne.

I checked out the link, and realised another important thing - you drive on the other side of the road. I'd forgotten this -

[Anne]

Well, I didn't think that it needed mentionning .
But that's what I had in mind when mentionning crossroads which you may find difficult to handle : namely, those where you want to turn LEFT .

[mez]

Well, in my mind I *know* you drive on the opposite side, but at the time it occurred to me to post, I was halfway through a fantasy of me cycling in Paris with gloves on and a scarf trailing behind me in the wind. It felt natural to fantasise riding the bike on the left hand side ;D

[annettecinca]

You asked about whether you can ride in parks, and that reminded me of something. When we did the Segway tour, we had to dismount and pull them behind us when we passed thru Tuilleries as riding them wasn't allowed in the park. It would be smart to find out for sure about bike riding in the parks.

[Anne]

I couldn't find any general rule about driving in parcs .
I read that you can ride in the square des Batignolles and in the Jardins d'Eole, and that only a part of the Promenade Plantee is allowed for riding, but I didn't find anything else . Anyway, if some parcs are allowed and others aren't, you'll be sure to find warning signs at the entrance of the forbidden parcs, with a biker's figure crossed by a big red line .

I forgot to mention that you are expected to raise your arm to signal a turn in the same direction .

[phread]

There is no general rule about riding through parks. Each park has its own rules and they are posted at the entrance gate of the park.

[GitteK]

Also another thing: when you stop in a crossroads for red lights and intend to proceed straight ahead when the light turns green, be SUPER careful with cars placed on your left. If they want to make a right turn, they may knock you down. Especially trucks are so dangerous, because they cannot see you in their sidemirrors. Cyclists are killed regularly in those kind of accidents. I don't know about Paris, but I have a feeling that you must look after yourself very much, as cardrivers are not yet all that accustomed to thousands of bikes swarming the streets of the city.

Anne: the "ripe yellow" is in Denmark called "taxi yellow" ..........

[lagatta]

Well, it is a huge improvement over ten or fifteen years ago - though it will take a while until Paris is Denmark or the Netherlands ... or even Strasbourg.

I noticed this: (il est interdit) de garer votre vélo sur un trottoir. If you can't park your bicycle on the pavement/sidewalk, where on earth can you park it? Is this really enforced? Are there enough designated parking spots for bicycles?

Of course, you also have to have front and rear lights after dark. I think that is the law pretty much everywhere, but it is rarely enforced. I laughed about the police suggesting Parisian cyclists wear "pale colours" at night. There is also the fashion police, after all. But there are reflective things you can put on to wear while cycling without looking like a plouk once off your bicycle.