Long a city that embraced cars, Paris is seeing a new kind of road rage: Bike-lane traffic jams

By JOHN LEICESTER
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — Paris is a city where motor vehicles have long been king. But now, it’s seeing rivers of cyclists. And with biking hitting record numbers, so too have come bike-lane traffic jams. The cycling revolution is transforming the capital of France. The country is one of car-lovers, the home to Renault, Citroen and Peugeot. But a nearly decade-long pro-bike drive by Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo is picking up pace ahead of the Paris Olympics next year. More bike lanes are coming as part of an effort to halve the carbon footprint of the Games. Already, on some Paris boulevards, bikes outnumber cars at peak times. Cycle congestion is becoming a headache. And growing numbers of Parisians are discovering that biking can rekindle love for the city’s charms.