
A man rides a bicycle along a bike path on the Pont de Bir-Hakeim bridge near the Eiffel Tower in Paris during a nationwide day of strike and protests against French government鈥檚 pension reform plan in France, January 19, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
PARIS 鈥 Paris commuters took advantage of the capital鈥檚 newly expanded network of bicycle lanes on Thursday to pedal into town and bypass a public transport system severely disrupted by nationwide strikes against pension reform plans.
Workers across France walked off their jobs, leaving almost no local or regional trains running and wreaking havoc on bus and metro traffic in the capital.
But the 50 miles of new cycle lanes rolled out by Paris City Hall since the pandemic have helped Parisians beat the strikes by hopping on their bikes and scooters despite near-freezing temperatures.
鈥淚t鈥檚 cold, but I鈥檝e got my final exam at uni and that鈥檚 why I鈥檓 taking my bike,鈥 Marinella Mighiglieri, a Peruvian student told Reuters on the Boulevard Sebastopol bike lane, one of the world鈥檚 busiest according to the City of Paris.
鈥淭his strike is horrible, it never happens like that in my country, but here it seems natural. I鈥檓 getting used to it already,鈥 she said.
Paris now boasts more than 350 kilometers of cycle lanes after Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo invested more than 150 million euros into new bike infrastructure.
Bike lane traffic has often surged during recent strikes. The last Paris metro strike on Nov. 10 boosted bike lane usage by 80% from average daily use that month. Thursday鈥檚 figures will be available on Friday.
On Rue de Rivoli, the famous thoroughfare running past the Louvre Museum, throngs of cyclists teemed through Paris.
Camille, 34, said she cycled home after she had to shut down her restaurant in the central business district for the day because of the strike.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really annoying. Everybody is remote-working so I鈥檓 losing the day鈥檚 business,鈥 she said.
Another commuter, who had to get an Uber bike at Gare du Nord station after struggling to reach the capital from the northern suburbs, had little sympathy for striking workers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 horrible. They鈥檙e a real pain the arse,鈥 she said, giving her name only as Lola.
Not all cyclists were cursing the strikers, however.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a real journey, but it鈥檚 OK, it feels nice on the lanes,鈥 Emy Facconier, 26, said. 鈥淭he strikes are fair. 鈥淚n truth, I understand why they strike.鈥