巴黎将成为“世界自行车之都”

Paris is to double the number of cycling lanes by 2020 as part of its Socialist¹ mayor's push to turn the city into "the world's bike capital".

隶属社会党的巴黎市长力争将巴黎打造为“世界自行车之都”，其中一项计划是到2020年，巴黎的自行车道长度将是目前的两倍。

The 150 million-euro project will increase the number of safe bike lanes from the current 700 kilometres (435 miles) to 1,400 kilometres within five years.

Paris town hall hopes the new lanes will help triple the number of journeys made on a bike from five percent to 15 percent in that time.

The new "express network" for bikes will introduce protected cycling lanes on major avenues throughout the city, including the banks of the Seine, separated from the traffic.

"We think that there are people ready to cycle but don't do it due to a sense of not being safe," said Christophe Najdovski, Green deputy mayor in charge of transport.

"This plan will create a new form of tourism in Paris which is booming elsewhere," he said.

The plans also include increasing the number of two-way cycling lanes on smaller roads where the speed limit for motorists will be limited to 30km/h. Among the new cycle lanes will be one along the notoriously dangerous Champs Elysees. Some 10,000 bike parking spaces will be added.

City hall intends to ramp² up cycling classes and repair workshops to get Parisians on their bikes.

Paris' famed bike rental³ scheme "Velib" is going from strength to strength, with some 283,000 subscribers and 40 million individual rentals⁴ this year already.

The city is now considering introducing electric bikes for hillier parts like Montmartre.

The plans come days after Paris suffered worrying pollutions levels that briefly⁵ topped Shanghai, according to one weather agency.