When all else is lost, the future still remains.
- Christian Nestell Bovee
Paris bans through traffic from city centre
The Chaos of Progress: Paris and the Battle for Urban Mobility
New Year’s Eve in Paris. One person, seeking to return home from the ninth to the eleventh arrondissement at 2:30 a.m., faced a simple choice: a 45-minute walk or nine metro stops. The decision was swift.
The first train was packed like a sardine can—no chance of getting in. The second train, after an excruciating eight-minute wait, was the same. So was the third. The fourth, the last train of the night, was promised in seventeen minutes—an eternity by Parisian standards.
So, the person set off on foot, fruitlessly attempted to hail two cabs (whose drivers predictably sneered and sped off), and finally stumbled home just before 4 a.m.—ninety minutes after setting out.
What kind of global metropolis is incapable of providing transport for its residents on New Year's Eve?
And yet, according to the latest Urban Mobility Readiness Index, Paris ranks as the second most advanced city in the world for transport, trailing only San Francisco. The index, compiled by the Oliver Wyman Forum and the University of California, Berkeley, evaluates cities based on their integration of new technologies, public transit efficiency, and environmental sustainability.
Since 2019, Paris has climbed thirteen spots in the rankings, standing nearly nine percent above the European average and a remarkable eighteen percent above the global one.
But tell that to a Parisian stuck at 3 a.m. on the curb, abandoned by cabs and betrayed by a ghostly metro system.
The Cost of Ambition: Grand Paris Express and the New Metro Utopia
Paris’ public transport system is a paradox. It is both one of the most overcrowded and one of the most ambitious.
The metro, with over four million daily passengers, is cheap (a single ticket costs just €2.50) and frequent (every two minutes during rush hour). But its crown jewel—the reason for its stellar ranking—is the Grand Paris Express (GPE), Europe’s largest infrastructure project, promising 200 kilometers of new metro lines, 68 new stations, and a staggering €36 billion price tag.
It’s a revolutionary expansion, connecting the periphery to the city, but like all grand projects, it is plagued by delays and budget overruns.
The twelve new stations of Line 14 offer a glimpse into the future: futuristic architecture, vast subterranean caverns, and an aesthetic that blends Metropolis with a Marvel blockbuster.
The Gare Villejuif—Gustave Roussy station plunges passengers 48 meters underground, surrounded by a hypnotic tangle of escalators. It’s all breathtaking.
But will it work?
And more importantly, will it arrive in time?
The War on Cars: Paris’ Love Affair with Bicycles
If you own a car in Paris, the city has declared war on you. The government has systematically dismantled car culture: the speed limit on the Périphérique has been slashed from 90 km/h to 50 km/h; a vast 5.5-square-kilometer no-car zone has been established; environmental restrictions are tightening; SUVs face higher parking fees; car-free days are increasingly common.
Since 2002, car traffic has plummeted by over 50%, and with it, greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
But the zeal for transformation has created its own casualties. The bus network, once a reliable backbone of public transit, has become a joke.
In 2000, buses traveled at an average of 15 km/h during rush hour; by 2024, that number had collapsed to 8.85 km/h. At this rate, walking will soon be faster. Buses spend nearly 40% of their time at a standstill—not just at red lights, but trapped behind delivery trucks, construction, and, most infuriatingly, bicycles.
The rise of cycling in Paris is both a marvel and a menace. In 1995, the city had just six kilometers of bike lanes; by 2026, there will be nearly 500. The Vélib’ bike-sharing system, once a novelty for the adventurous, is now a mainstream mode of transport. More Parisians ride bikes (11% of trips) than drive cars (4%). The pedestrian remains king (53% of all journeys are made on foot), but cyclists have reshaped the city's streets.
For some, this is a triumph of green urban planning. For others, it is an invasion—a reckless army of anarchic, rule-averse riders clogging up every available space.
The Forgotten: Accessibility and the Hidden Crisis of Public Transport
Yet for all its futuristic ambitions, Paris remains a hostile city for the disabled. The buses and trams are fully accessible, as will be the new metro lines, but the existing subway system is an unforgiving labyrinth.
Officially, only 9% of stations are wheelchair-accessible (disability groups claim it’s closer to 3%). Retrofitting the old lines is prohibitively expensive: upgrading just Line 6, one of the easier candidates, is estimated to cost up to €850 million and take fifteen years.
In the meantime, Paris’ disabled citizens are left with a grim choice: battle the endless stairs or stay home.
The Final Reckoning: Success or Catastrophe?
Paris stands at a crossroads. The city has waged war on cars, but its alternative solutions are still unfinished.
The metro is expanding, but remains overcrowded and unreliable.
Buses are sleek, modern, and environmentally friendly, but paralyzed by congestion.
Cyclists are thriving, but at the cost of efficiency and order. Accessibility remains an afterthought.
The city is changing—violently, disruptively, perhaps even admirably.
The question is: will the revolution succeed, or will Paris become a cautionary tale of a metropolis that tried to do too much, too fast, and alienated its own citizens in the process?
In the meantime, perhaps the least Paris could do is run more trains on New Year’s Eve.
Sincerely,
ADAPT OR DIE!
WE ARE READY! ARE YOU?
