Streetfilms: Sharing Street Space in Paris

Here is another Streetfilm by Elizabeth Press from her trip to Paris last summer. This time she focuses on shared street space in the City of Light, where the understood “street code” dictates that users are responsible for those with lighter vehicles — i.e., cyclists look out for pedestrians, car drivers look out for cyclists, bus drivers look out for cars, etc. This, combined with relatively simple calming devices, makes it possible for bikes, taxis and buses to share lanes safely, and allows for design features that would seem impossible in most cities, like unprotected contra-flow bike lanes.

My takeaway from this vid: It’s amazing to see what is possible when everyone just slows down.