Paris residents will elect a new mayor on Sunday, with the city’s move to reduce car traffic a hot-button issue.
Since becoming mayor in 2014, Anne Hidalgo has rolled out policies restricting car use while incentivizing cycling. Her strategy has largely worked: The city’s automotive traffic fell by around half in the two decades to 2023, while the number of bicycle lanes increased sixfold. Bikes now make twice as many as journeys as cars.
While Hidalgo holds that “the bike beat the car,” a rightist candidate has vowed to roll back some of the changes.
“The city’s transition away from the car, though fantastically chaotic, has become a global role model,” Simon Kuper wrote in the Financial Times.