Today was my first attempt of bike commuting here in France. There have been several obstacles to me getting on my bike: 1) the weather - its been either cold or rainy or both; 2) the hill between home and the office. The incline is only for a mile, but it's steep; 3) the patchy network of bike trails that appear and disappear with every other block.
With the temperature finally reaching 70 yesterday, there was one less excuse for not riding to work. Plus all the wine, cheese, and croissants in which I've been indulging have made biking those hills an imperative.
The first part of my ride this morning was quite enjoyable. I left by 8am- way before the time parents started taking the kiddies to school. The traffic was flowing and the park was calm.
The atmosphere from one side of the bridge from the other, however, couldn't be more different. One side of the Seine (the Garches side), my route took me through the Parc de Saint Cloud which consisted of trails and paths through the park with very few cars. Once I crossed the Seine, it turned to city commuting. On the other side of the bridge, the bike paths are not connected. You share the road with cars, buses and motos. Traffic is usually pretty heavy so speeding cars don't seem to be an issue.
I personally, don't think Paris is bike friendly. Vehicles do give you space when you are on your bike, but don't even think of riding on the sidewalk. Even though I often see motos and sometimes cars drive on the sidewalk to avoid traffic, the police were quick to stop me within just two minutes of getting on the sidewalk. I tried the "je ne comprend pas", hoping he would cut me some slack. He quickly realized though that I understood. That only made him angry. Next time, when I fake not knowing French, I will have to commit to faking not know the language.
Paris is in need of a bike advocacy group. If they had at least one route that went along the river from the western suburbs to Paris, I think more people would ride to work. It's not a long commute. It is certainly faster than taking the bus. It's just a shame that those of us who would like to bike to work have to act like road warriors.
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| Daily Commute |