Getting Around Paris (Part 1)

So I hope we've already mentioned walking as a great way to get around Paris especially with so many pedestrian streets. To repeat the city is fairly small and its a great way to see the city, but there are more ways to get around than your own two feet. Of course there are private cars but they tend to be smaller than in the States. Its noteworthy when a full size SUV passes by and I don't think we have seen anything approaching a real pickup truck. Instead the smaller end of the scale predominates. 'Smart cars' are more common here than in the NY area, but not so many that you'd say they were common. Still I didn't have to wait long to snap this picture.

 

The two biggest differences are the bicycles and motor bikes.  I'd estimate that a full third of Paris street traffic is split between these two. Often you'll see them traveling together in packs because of their superior ability to weave between traffic at lights.  Its very widespread, you'll see businessmen wearing suits driving a motor scooter home from work, baguette tucked away or a fashionable woman pedaling down the street.
There is quite a diversity of different motorized bikes. There are ones with two wheels in the front and ones that are almost fully enclosed with a roof and back as well as a windscreen. Every now and then there will be a bike that looks like it came off the dirt racing track and more rarely something big and American. Of course there are plenty of cherry red Vespas too.

Motorcycles, scooters and Vespa's line the street

Biking is encouraged by the Paris government with Velib stations. These are stations where for a small annual fee you can borrow a bike for half hour at no cost as long as you return them to another station. You'll need a European style bankcard with a chip if you want to try them though. From personal observation they are everywhere and they get quite a bit of use. I do pity whoever pedals to the top of Sacre Coeur and come back expecting to find 'his' or any other bike!

Now I confess we have neither scooter-ed nor biked in Paris, perhaps now that the weather is nicer we'll try the biking. It is somewhat intimidating, the traffic is slower here than New York but often more crowded and the intersections are insane! Though if we do and survive we'll be sure to write about it!

You can see stations are pretty much everywhere near us
and they are putting new ones in all the time