Cycling has become a genuine mode of transport for many French commuters, with improved bike infrastructure encouraging more people to leave the metro behind. Yet the shift to two wheels does not eliminate the hazards of the road—rush hours, aggression and, at times, mortal danger. On 21 September, a cyclist was killed in Paris after being struck by a heavy goods vehicle. Far from the carefree image of riding with the wind in your hair, choosing the bike can also be deeply stressful, as several riders told HuffPost.
New Fears to Overcome
“I thought it would make my life easier in every way, but I hadn’t anticipated that it wouldn’t be so simple,” says Sophia*, who took up cycling a little under two years ago, weary of regular RER disruptions. From her Paris suburb, “cancelled trains often turn a 30-minute journey into nearly an hour, and they can make me late for work or important appointments.”
Encouraged by the prospect of more regular exercise and savings on her transit pass, she invested in a second-hand bike and the gear needed for comfortable trips. But on the road, she quickly discovered new sources of anxiety. “Before, I was afraid of being late; now I’m afraid of other things,” she explains. “Depending on the neighbourhood, I can feel very vulnerable on the road. There’s traffic, badly placed parking, pedestrians…” Then there is the matter of managing the bike lane. “If I try to ride fast in places I know less well, I’m scared, but if I ride at my own pace, I get in other people’s way,” says the young woman, whose routes change regularly because her workplace is not fixed.
“The atmosphere on the road—let’s be honest—is a bit of hell,” agrees Renaud*, a cyclist in Paris for several years. He describes a “stressful” urban chaos of riders on overly narrow bike lanes, cyclists running red lights, dangerous trucks and pedestrians stepping out without looking. Amid it all, he tries to save time at any cost. “I cycle because it’s nice, but above all because I can save 15 to 20 minutes on my commute,” he says. “And that’s only worth it if I ride fast, so I too try to stop as little as possible.”
Altercations on the Road
Like many cyclists and bike commuters, the thirtysomething worries about accidents, such as a car door opening at the wrong moment or a collision. Yet he feels powerless: when he waits in traffic, he is “tense.” So he runs red lights and takes risks. A fall a few months ago that left him with a fractured ankle—without even riding fast or doing anything dangerous—changed nothing.
Everyone interviewed also mentioned the fear of hostile encounters, and the memory of Paul Varry, a 27-year-old cyclist crushed to death by a motorist in Paris. While he has never experienced anything so violent, Sébastien* admits to several “run-ins” while cycling in Lyon. “If a behaviour on the road puts me in danger or scares me, it can make me angry. Without being insulting, I’ve let drivers know they had just done something very dangerous, for example,” confides the thirtysomething. “Some apologise or ignore me; others fly off the handle.” Several times, he has found himself face to face with a driver, shouting at each other.
“It has never gone further,” he stresses, believing he can quickly flee by bike if danger arises. “But you can’t say cycling is a particularly zen way to get around cities—it’s the same as the car or the bus. Either way, we share the same roads.”
No Turning Back
Yet none of them would change their mode of transport. “It’s so much nicer to enjoy the city this way, rather than being underground!” Sébastien points out. Sophia agrees, even when it is cold, raining or heatwaves keep coming. “It’s unpleasant no matter what—at least on a bike, you get there faster!” she argues. One more point for the bicycle.
*Names have been changed.
