More room for pedestrians by Nemorino
Even in places where bus and bicycle lanes are not needed, the city has started re-allocating space to make more room for pedestrians and less for cars. Here on rue Béranger in the 3rd arrondissment they have removed one lane of motor traffic (it's a one-way street), widened and re-paved the sidewalk and started planting trees. When I took the photo the trees weren't there yet, but the emplacements for them were already in place. And they have installed posts to prevent motorists from parking on the newly widened sidewalk.Second photo: A couple blocks later on rue de Turenne (same street, different name) we have a bad example of a street that has not yet been rearranged. The too-wide street generates excess motor traffic and encourages speeding. The too-narrow sidewalk means that pedestrians get bunched up and have trouble getting through as soon as there are six or seven of them in the same place.
Third photo: Like many other cities, Paris has created several pedestrian districts in which the streets are closed off to motor traffic except for deliveries at certain times of day, and even then the speed limit is 15 kilometers per hour. The photo shows an entrance to the pedestrian area of Les Halles, which has turned this once-inhospitable neighborhood into a lively urban setting with numerous cafes, restaurants and shops.
Fourth photo: These signs are announcing "Paris respire" (Paris breathes), showing which streets will be closed off to motor traffic on Sundays and holidays to make space for pedestrians, cyclists and inline skaters.
