This bicycle lane breaks records for the number of users in Paris

Located on Boulevard Sébastopol in the heart of the capital, the bike lane demonstrates the enthusiasm for cycling practice, and that needs are exceeding infrastructure.

On February 11, 2020, during a period of lockdown due to Covid-19, the Paris city hall installed a curious counter. This “totem” accompanies a new bidirectional bike lane, that of Boulevard Sébastopol. This artery, formerly dedicated to cars and trucks, reduced its traffic from 4 to 3 lanes, leaving the leftmost lane for cyclists and scooter users.

This boulevard, very busy, quickly became a mandatory passage point for Parisians. It also serves as a reference to go from the Seine to the Grands Boulevards, or vice versa. At Mobiwisy, this is a bike lane often used, linking easily to Rue de Rivoli.

4.4 million crossings in one year!

Rapidly, the figures from the Sébastopol counter skyrocketed and are the highest in Paris. It is even the most popular in France ahead of the Quai Augagneur in Lyon, and the most frequented in Europe according to Eco Counter! (which, however, does not have data for the Netherlands or Denmark…)

In 2022, weekly counts rose from 60,000 in winter to 80,000 in spring, reaching 100,000 near summer according to numbers reported by Paris en Selle. After the return to school, cyclist numbers exploded, with weeks nearing 120,000 crossings (record week being the week of the 12th with 117,007 crossings).

Proof that cycling and scooter riding are increasing, this winter averages 80,000 weekly crossings. January concluded with 350,095 crossings—+31% compared to 2022 (267,818 crossings) and +67% versus 2021 (209,350 crossings).

Note also the two strike days, on January 19 and 31. The Sébastopol bike lane counter recorded nearly 20,000 crossings. But this isn’t new, as November 10, 2022, broke the record with 26,308 crossings. We even recorded 2,327 crossings in a single hour, or 39 per minute!

A track already saturated!

Bidirectional but narrow, the lane already causes saturation and inconveniences. During peak hours, between a relaxed cargo cyclist in a cargo bike, a slalom athlete, and a teenager on a scooter unfamiliar with traffic rules, tensions can emerge. Some overtaking other cyclists very closely, while pedestrian crossings cut this axis in many places.

But with low speeds, cycling traffic lights everywhere, accidents are rare. Deputy Mayor of Paris for Transport and Mobility, David Belliard, announced as early as October 2020 an expansion of the Sébastopol lane. However, this measure has yet to be implemented. As for Mayor Anne Hidalgo, she still wants to establish a “street code” to calm situations.

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