1/35
brenttoderian.bsky.social
BREAKING & BIG: Today in PARIS, citizens voted in a referendum to PEDESTRIANIZE 500 MORE of the city's streets, giving fresh momentum to efforts by city leaders to create people-places, curb car usage, and improve air quality. 66% of Parisians voted in favour of the measure, official results showed!
https://www.reuters.com/world/europ...making-500-more-streets-pedestrian-2025-03-23
2/35
brenttoderian.bsky.social
Sorry, that should have been 66% of those Parisians who voted, not 66% of Parisians. I’m usually precise about such language, so my apologies. It’s an outstanding referendum level of support, on a bold question. And it was smart of Paris leaders to seek a mandate through a decisive referendum win.
3/35
donsheahan.bsky.social
Paris votes 66% in favour, with only 4% turnout (54,000), representing 3.9% of those (1,400,000) on the electoral register. A very poor voter turnout ...
www.paris.fr/pages/nouvel...
4/35
loicgbd.bsky.social
Only goes to show how easy it would have been to reject the project if there were any serious opposition to it
5/35
dunphyb.bsky.social
The low turnout siggests this issue shouldn't have been decided by referendum in the first place. People already elected Hidalgo, and that should be sufficient for making such decisions.
6/35
stadsplanering.bsky.social
Agree. At the same time the referendum creates a situation where people who later complain will have to think about why they didn’t advocate against it earlier. It gives
@annehidalgo.bsky.social a more clearer path forward! Merci!
7/35
streetfilms.bsky.social
Paris rules! We need to wake up in USA, Canada and so many other countries!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezPz...
8/35
don-ross.bsky.social
Way to go, Paris!
9/35
clairebradley.bsky.social
Similar sentiment in Oxford
bsky.app/profile/oxfo...
Citizens’ Assembly votes for “a car-free city centre”
10/35
flocktoblue.bsky.social
Fabulous and so correct.
11/35
taylorhutchison.bsky.social
Good news but abysmal voter turnout. Only 54,489 voters (4% of eligible Parisiens). Maybe driven partly by an assumption it was sure to pass?
12/35
ericdoherty.bsky.social
You could think of it as a test for opponents, who chose not to organize against it (presumably on the assumption that campaigning would just lead to it passing with a larger turnout).
13/35
stephanepierrot.bsky.social
Not when you see how little the Mayor's office does to promote the referendum.
Most people did not even know there was one.
And it was the same M.O. for the first two we had.
14/35
clauderispe.bsky.social
I don't live in Paris, but heard of the referendum on a national public radio at least twice in the days preceding the election. So it was not a secret.
15/35
ericdoherty.bsky.social
Interesting to compare Paris and Berlin. In Berlin the national government wants to spend billions extending a motorway even further into the city, over the objections of local elected representatives and residents. No referendum.
youtu.be/QjweIzqWulI?...
16/35
clauderispe.bsky.social
We had the same politics all over France, peaking at the end of the 60's and until the 1974 petrol crisis - years of president Pompidou, who declared that towns needed to be fitted to cars. We then built "pénétrantes", highways that reached the heart of cities.
17/35
clauderispe.bsky.social
I watched the video. This is a crazy project! What a pity...
18/35
davidsbunk.bsky.social
Very cool. Already had plans to visit in the summer.
Anyone have any idea when these 500 additional streets will be pedestrianized?
(I'm doubting it will happen before I go, but am curious).
19/35
philipptpunkt.bsky.social
Will take 2-3 years at least I think - but there’re already plenty car free streets and areas
20/35
scottsliter.bsky.social
That's really impressive. I accept there will be challenges as routines, habits and even convenience are altered but what an absolutely brilliant thing I feel.
21/35
paolouche.bsky.social
And here in ON we’re ripping bike lanes
22/35
zackdeclerck.bsky.social
@wutrain.bsky.social Our kids deserve clean air, safe streets, and a livable future. If Boston can do even 10% of what Paris has done in the last several years, it would make a huge difference. This is climate leadership. Grateful for the investments that have been made, looking forward to more!
23/35
nachtigall.nafofellas.com
Fantastic. She rebuild the City for people, not for Cars. We need some Hidalgos in Germany too.
24/35
stephanepierrot.bsky.social
No you don't.
Hidalgo went to the opening of a new bike lane by car, followed by a city hall van transporting a bike.
They stopped less than 100m from the event so that she could hop on her bike and show how green she is.
BTW, the event took place about 750m from her office!
25/35
alexzski.bsky.social
I wonder how they handle tour buses and delivery drivers; The gastown pedestrian street had issues due to local merchants not being able to get a busload of tourists, or get deliveries.
26/35
hunter0200.bsky.social
I was just there on Thursday. Paris is very walkable or accessible by public transit. I saw quite a few boat tours and walking tours. Very few bus tours.
27/35
iambanafsheh.bsky.social
I love how
@reutuerscom.bsky.social’s reporters thinks it’s necessary to make this some “left leaning city hall” priority in their first paragraph when almost 70% of Paris voted for it.
28/35
interrailtravel.bsky.social
Less than 4% of the Parisians voted in the referendum. Of those who voted, 66% was in favor. That's quite different than "almost 70% of Paris voted for it".
Nevertheless a good result for Paris and its citizens.
29/35
hydrologywsl.bsky.social
They really wand to lure Emily back from Rome
30/35
weka.bsky.social
did the referendum include information on services for people that are more reliant on cars? eg disabled, elderly, people with young kids, people who are acutely unwell.
31/35
wishcandy.bsky.social
I try to remind people of this every time the subject of car free areas comes up. Some people rely on cars who can’t walk, or can’t walk for long periods of time. Will the gov/ city allocate funds for mobility devices and caretakers for those people?
32/35
lechrovi.bsky.social
What a lovely city with great people
33/35
vhemt4all.bsky.social
How lovely! I do wish crossing borders was a more secure prospect. The idea of having a maybe citizenship after maybe some years makes us very reluctant to do it (not specifically here, everywhere). That’s a bummer for us but this is a total win for Paris. Congrats.
34/35
kkandev.bsky.social
Or just allow Full Electric vehicles only.
35/35
clauderispe.bsky.social
Electric or not a car is still a car and takes a lot of space, for most of the times a single person. And though pollution can be locally reduced, it still represents a danger for other modes of circulation. So the project makes sense imho.
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