lowering the maximum speed does not solve the problem of self-driving

TRANSPORT – New brakes on the ring road. The maximum speed on the road surrounding Paris increases to 50 km/h this Tuesday, October 1, after a decade at 70 km/h. A decision “which legally belongs only to the mayor of Paris”as recalled by Anne Hidalgo and the new Minister of Transport François Durovray following a meeting last week after an initial exchange of arms and the reaffirmed opposition of the president of the region Valérie Pécresse.

Concretely, the new signage will be deployed gradually. It will be done section by section starting with the eastern part (from Porte des Lilas to Porte d’Orléans), before being generalized on October 10. “We are not going to fine motorists from October 1, there will be a transition period”assured the first deputy mayor of Paris Patrick Bloche to AFP.

The main objective of the measure is to reduce noise pollution (the consequences on pollution are less for residents of the artery. For motorists, this measure will especially have an impact on motorists outside peak hours: average speed on the ring road over the course of a day does not exceed 37 km/h.

Too many cars

Because reducing speed will have no effect on one of the major problems of the Paris ring road: its congestion. Failing to consider a massive relocation of French companies to reduce pressure on the Paris region, the authorities are focusing above all on the fight against single-occupancy.

A single statistic allows us to measure the extent of the problem: 80% of the cars circulating on the ring road are occupied by their only driver. An aberration which contributes to the saturation of the roads on this urban highway as well as on all adjacent axes.

To move forward on this issue, Paris town hall and the government are banking on carpooling, “capable of reducing automobile traffic in Île-de-France”. To influence behavior, Anne Hidalgo firstly wishes to perpetuate the Olympic lanes on the artery, reserved for public transport, taxis and “carpool vehicles with at least two people on board”. But unlike lowering the speed, the municipality cannot decide alone to develop this lane. Discussions “ open » are underway with the police headquarters, indicates Patrick Bloche. During their meeting on Friday, the Minister of Transport and the Mayor of Paris agreed to “work together on the modalities of access to these routes” et “on a common implementation schedule at the beginning of 2025”.

Carpool lines

Furthermore, while the transport sector has been largely revolutionized by mobile applications, Paris town hall is banking on “carpool lines” to develop this practice and calls in this sense “carpooling professionals” to mobilize.

On this point, projects are underway under the aegis of Île-de-France Mobilités, but they primarily concern the outer suburbs. Twelve lines “bookable on an app” for journeys “to share with other Ile-de-France residents on predefined routes connected to the public transport network” are thus announced for the coming months, indicates the organizing authority in the region.

When will there be lines in the immediate vicinity of the capital? Today, 43% of motorists who use the ring road come from the inner suburbs. But in this matter, everything remains to be written.

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