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Streetfilms: Sharing Street Space in Paris

9:45 AM PST on January 16, 2009

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 street designs 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.

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Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York'’s dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.

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