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Thursday, February 9, 2012

Paris to Allow Cyclists to Run Red Lights


Councilors in Paris, France approved a new rule that would allow bicyclists to run red lights. A result of a three-year campaign by cyclists’ associations, the rule comes after road safety experts deemed it a good measure to cut road crashes.
The idea of allowing cyclists to run red lights to decrease road crashes may seem ironic, but Paris municipal authorities believe that it will be an important step in helping to ease bicycle congestion. “It makes cycle traffic more fluid and avoids bunching up cyclists when the traffic lights go green for motorists,” municipal authorities explained.
In the United States, the state of Virginia passed a similar law last July, but most bike safety campaigns in the country have held the position that bicyclists are safe on the road when they follow the same rules as car drivers. Under normal circumstances, all road users carry the inherent trust that everyone will follow the rules, MassBike explains. “Think about that next time you go through a green light: you are putting your trust in hundreds of strangers every day—trusting that they will not run through the red light and strike you. When you violate that trust, the system breaks down.”

photo by Живые улицы / Live Streets

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