The Choreography of an Otherwise Unremarkable Street in Paris - Direct Human Observation in Urbanism

[@nraynaud]

for the pedestrian crossing behavior, I'd say crossing in the middle of the road segment is also easier because you just have to check for vehicles in 2 directions, wheras crossing at an intersection you have to check for cars in a number of directions.

[@dorothymorris6536]

that's true, I was taught from a young age to never cross near the street corners because vehicles turn rather abruptly and you can't see them and they can't see you

[@lsiBzn]

Cool take this subject! As a 10 year bike commuter in Paris, I can say with confidence that cars are now more used to bikes than ever before. However, I can’t explain why our bike lanes are SO F******G bad. There’s a cool channel called Altis play, trying to analyze and explain the urban bike planning in Paris. I’ve understood that he now knows a lot of city planners in charge. You two should get a coffee, maybe if you join forces you can push the planners to do à proper job 😂

[@LifeSizedCity]

Stay tuned for my takedown of bike lanes in Paris.... :-(

[@yuotueb]

Deviations being more common in emptier streets also just has practical reasons: An empty space I can use as I wish without risking conflict; the more concurrent actors, the more I need to follow rules and rely on others doing so too to efficiently navigate it (e.g. without having to interact/negotiate with everyone individually).

[@gavrilapaul]

Wonderful, beautiful, magic, lovely. 🤗

[@jonmunn6421]

Thanks for the lovely case study. Holly Whyte would have applauded. A mention is needed for landscape. Paris has great large species street trees. The wider sidewalk accommodates the trees well here. I would like to see how the trees changed the streetscape and people's behaviour in the summer. More heat waves with climate change will increase the need for shade. Many cities could take a lesson from this.

[@frannypeony2076]

Here in Sydney during the hotter months, my black pup & I follow the tree scape everywhere we walk, even crossing roads to do so. It was 39°C yesterday 🥵

[@markclemens3409]

Do the classic iron grills help the trees or not? The last time I was there (2021), many grills were missing and the little spaces intended to be gardens were gone to weeds.

[@r.williams8349]

Beautiful thank you

[@piros100]

the way he narrates what goes on in the street makes me think Michael is the David Attenborough of urban life 🥰🥰🥰

[@dwdei8815]

Top observations there. I've long had a theory that tarmac is a more comfortable surface to walk on than slab concrete - it has more spring to it. And I very often catch myself subconsciously preferring to walk on the tarmac streets of my barrio in Madrid than on the pavements ("sidewalks" if you insist). Incidentally, Madrid is full of e-scooters too, but somehow I never get the impression that they have become the urban nuisance I see reported elsewhere. Riders are just as cavalier but somehow it's never caught fire to the level of rousing a plebiscite.

[@MrBaymeric]

Really interesting experiment, I think it's a great way to improve the infrastructure

[@clementbouvard8457]

Riding the wrong way down the streets in bicycle is actually authorised in any 30 kph street unless the mayor passes a decree against that which would be surprising in that area

[@maricuchisdelafuente]

Could you do the plaza of the concorde

[@wonder6789]

Fascinating!

[@Maxime_K-G]

Love your videos, cool to see a behaviour analysis like this again! These are so fun, I should do one as well someday. 23:51 Haha, that's basically how I ride in places that I know really well. If you're hyper-aware I think making your own path is actually safer. If I don't really feel like using my brain I ride normally of course.

[@maricuchisdelafuente]

Can you do the central plaza

[@gwouigwoui]

Very cool, and I love the nod to Perec! Regarding the deviations, I'm not certain e-scooters and bikes going against the flow is actually one, as the Code de la Route states that on streets with a speed limit under 30 km/h people on bikes are actually allowed to cycle contraflow. Also, having worked for 5 years litterally in the middle of the part you filmed, the lack of honking is definitely surprising. If there was the slightest slowdown (compared to the usually slow traffic), people were having a pretty heavy hand on the horn.

[@lr7694_]

Great work, I live in Villejuif currently and many times during summer or winter I spend some couple of hours in a cafe or a bar watching the street. I realize I'm doing such a similar work, scanning and counting the different people but I search more to understand why I cross people's route. Are-they tourist ? Workers ? Parisians spending good time like me... ? I don't know if it's something you do or you study here in Paris but it would be a pleasure to meet you one day in such a similar occasion !!

[@jana.j.a1]

This is amazing! thank you for doing this :D

[@dawitsolomon-hj8mu]

I am your number 2 fan next to your family Sir and i have one question maybe a demand as it is crucial as an urban planner in the 21st century Could you please make some series on Urban greenery and it's relation to to encourage cycling but also the notion of Net Zero approach. Super as always keep it up

[@jonathanirons231]

Thanks so much Mikael. This visualises so well how we use public space. So many more pedestians than anything else. It's not about cars versus bikes versus pedestrians, it's about how do we share public spaces in a fair way. Thanks for your work!

[@mumblbeebee6546]

Great episode, thank you!

[@GeorgesVernier]

Great analysis, Very interesting ! There is a missing piece of information, how many pedestrians crossed at the crosswalk when they had a red light ?

[@polochai6664]

Euc is increidible and the best way in the town. You should learn .Its better than bicycle. 😊

[@christill]

E-scooters shouldn’t be banned but they should be either share systems with docks or privately owned. I do agree though that bicycles or kick scooters (like Swifty Scooters with Brompton sized wheels) should be promoted as the main option. Also I’m pretty sure every Dutch city is better for cargo bikes than Paris. There’s definitely huge potential but it’s not that good yet.

[@LifeSizedCity]

There are many reasons cities are trying to get rid of them: - Zero health benefits. - It cannibalizes pedestrianism - Not sustainable at all - Private exploitation of public space - Dangerous - Profits go off-shore to foreign investors and we're left with the hospital bills. - Pedestrian hazard for everyone, mostly our elderly instagram.com/scootersbehavingbadly/

[@christill]

@@LifeSizedCity - The larger wheeled ones aren’t dangerous - Cars and public transport have zero health benefits. - Some days I’d like to swap a bike for one. - You have a bee in your bonnet about the current free floating rental model which can be changed. - If you can find space for public bike share, you can add some scooters to the same areas. - You’re just wrong.

[@TheReaderOnTheWall]

7:20 I am not an e-scooter rider, I have a bike, but I really don't understand the hate. I respect your opinion, so I'd be interested to hear why they are so bad. From what I gather the accidents are mostly dangerous to the users themselves (higher center of gravity, less stable than bikes). It's convenient to bring anywhere, in the metro or at work, especially when they fold. It's flexible, able to go on the street, bike lane, and sidewalk (depending on the speed). I use my bike on the sidewalk when I judge the street too dangerous (as appropriate, sometimes walking next to my bike, but it's based on my best judgement). But something small like this, honeslty, it's the best of all worlds. Plus the whole "not arriving at work all sweaty" thing from when I take my bike. If what you dislike is the e-scooter companies, leaving them everywhere, sure, though I assume it's more about having delimited areas where it can only be parked there.

[@LifeSizedCity]

There are many reasons cities are trying to get rid of them: - Zero health benefits. - It cannibalizes pedestrianism - Not sustainable at all - Private exploitation of public space - Dangerous - Profits go off-shore to foreign investors and we're left with the hospital bills. - Pedestrian hazard for everyone, mostly our elderly instagram.com/scootersbehavingbadly/

[@mattbattaglia4694]

another fascinating video, thank you. I'm curious, are you a native English speaker?

[@zacappleton474]

Really interesting Mikael. Since the waning of the pandemic, what I've observed in San Francisco has been e-scooters becoming the preferred micromobility solution for women (over that of docked bikeshare). I don't know whether it's because the better-regulated Lime's e-scooters retain the undocked flexibility or because the scooter requires no user effort. What has also emerged is the e-scooters have facilitated more 2-person use, similar to Amsterdam's "dinking" which practically never happens with bikes (personal or docked) in SF.

[@paddyodoor3090]

Yeah escooters are great I hope we can get more practical escooters like the ones they have in china which are more like ebikes with a big seat that multiple people can squeeze on to

[@zacappleton474]

@@paddyodoor3090 : at that point, might as well go full Vespa. There are electric models now, and may be better suited to mix with automotive traffic.

[@paddyodoor3090]

@@zacappleton474 eh the speed of a vespa is dangerous so its not ideal

[@Ozblu3y]

why are you so against the scooter? I've seen them in brisbane (australia) being used pretty well, almost like a highway for pedestrians combined with very large walkways. This is along the foreshore and the bridges, they share the same space with bikes.

[@LifeSizedCity]

There are many reasons cities are trying to get rid of them: - Zero health benefits. - It cannibalizes pedestrianism - Not sustainable at all - Private exploitation of public space - Dangerous - Profits go off-shore to foreign investors and we're left with the hospital bills. - Pedestrian hazard for everyone, mostly our elderly instagram.com/scootersbehavingbadly/

[@Ozblu3y]

@@LifeSizedCity Are they less effective per rider in terms of sustainability? I would have thought they would be pretty good considering they're mostly electric and lightweight. No doubting they're dangerous, cannibalising pedestrianism, exploitation of public space, profits issues... etc. But surely if those issues were catered to or legislated, and designs were put in place that prevented destruction of pedestrian amenities, then they would be far better than a car and would open up options for people who don't want to get sweaty after/before work?

[@emmar9104]

Would you do a video about Greenland? I'm in Qaqortoq where there's a wonderful pedestrian stretch in the picturesque city centre, a lot of taxis relatively to cars, one electric city bus, and a lot of pedestrians. But car ownership is increasing and the planning department told me specifically "when a city reaches a certain size it needs to be built around cars!" and it really worries me. Everythhing that's good about life here is compromised about their car centric development. I really really really yearn for material about Greenland! It's relevant here, too!

[@LifeSizedCity]

Would LOVE to!!!!!

[@Korina42]

Hand them copies of Copenhagenize and Walkable Cities, and direct them to Not Just Bikes on YT. 🙂

[@emmar9104]

​@@Korina42 Pulling references from Europe (or the US) tends not to go well in Greenland, and other parts of the Arctic. In many fields there truly are many reasons you can't just copy and paste from those parts of the world, to Greenland. People have tried in the past and failed horribly. At best it's been an embarrassment, or a simple waste of money. At worst it's tragedy. And it keeps happening today. So no, I do not want to pull references from Europe and the US and say that the listener must trust, or reason, that it applies here as well. I want well reasearched, well documented, well reasoned material that's made specifically about Greenland. Greenland deserves it by now. Me, and everyone in Greenland, is sick of people uncritically trying to copy things from the US/Europe to here. If I tried to tell people to do that, no one would listen to me. I'd embarrass myself.

[@Korina42]

@@emmar9104 Fair enough. BTW, I wasn't necessarily suggesting copy and paste; they all include some basic concepts that are fairly universal and that might be adaptable to your circumstances. Finland? There's some great infrastructure there, but admittedly they are on the mainland. I wish you luck.

[@dwdei8815]

Just spotted that the first bunch of UPS trucks veers off to the left as it goes off-screen and later ones carry straight on. So moe probably travelling from than to.

[@LifeSizedCity]

I found out there is actually a depot nearby. They come in a bunch at the end of each working day.

[@thibault-thesidewoo]

Which artist residency is this?

[@Leo-Crespi]

Wow I love this video. What is your residence about?

[@LifeSizedCity]

Working on my novel - and also doing my usual urbanism thing.

[@ElectricityTaster]

Did you do any statistical analysis to determine if there is a significant difference between morning and afternoon deviations? Would probably need quite a few more streets to get a good enough sample size.

[@LifeSizedCity]

I have studied 106,000 cyclists in 5 cities. There's a film about it on this channel. It's a clear tendency

[@ElectricityTaster]

@@LifeSizedCity just stick it in minitab.

[@Fly0High]

Interesting. I don't understand the hate on the e-scooter. They are just another solution for micro-mobility, especially where there are no bike services or infra-structure. They offer the same versatility as bikes and the rule breaking types are the same. I can understand and even agree if its just a hate on the private companies that spammed them all over europe but on the vehicle itself i'd need some further explanation.

[@murdelabop]

I don't understand the anger at escooters. Sure, they can be annoying when people drive them where they shouldn't, or park them where they shouldn't, but they're a valid method of getting around a city, and rather than trying to get rid of them urbanists should be figuring out how to make them a part of the urban transportation mix.

[@LifeSizedCity]

When you work with sustainability, as I do, escooters are at the bottom of the food chain. Not to mention the shocking data about death and injury.

[@murdelabop]

@@LifeSizedCity At this point it's become something of a religious argument. The genie is out of the bottle and there's little chance of stuffing it back in, so the best option is to accept them and figure out how to use them to best advantage. Micromobility devices are here to stay. I saw the same arguments over skateboards in the 1970s.

[@5688gamble]

I liken the way people navigate to a desire path. Those little paths through the grass and other places people aren't supposed to walk tell you how an average person would rather navigate. Everryone breaks a rule once in a while when they aew trying to get from A to B with maximum speed and efficiency- I once found myself lost on a moped and I could see my destination easily accesible yjrough a pedestrian underpass- it was wide and wuiet and there was no clear road so I drove over it- that is the kind of major asshole anyone can be when feeling pissed off and lazy- the infrastructure has to be hiostile to those you wish to exclude because not everyone will follow the rules 100% perfectly 100% of the time, at least force offenders to conform to prevailing speeds and punish where you see them- motorbikes are very hard to exclude physically as they are just so nippy and if it impedes a moped, it will make cycling less pleasant- guess that is what ANPR is for..

[@MSTS33]

Going the "wrong way" on a bike or an e-scooter shouldn't be a thing : it's allowed on most Parisian streets. Moreover, the city gov't is going to have a problem : laws and court rulings have said that you can't forbid a one-way street to be two-way for bicyclists on a 30 kph street...which a (nearly) all of Paris since last year.

[@NapoleonTrotski]

Is the cyclist actually allowed to travel in the street in both directions ? I thought than when a street is 30 km/h limit (most of Paris is like that now) they can, even if it's not explicit

[@DougGrinbergs]

Maybe use a lav mic for less distracting room reverb, better intelligibility

[@LifeSizedCity]

Ah! The sound commenter! I've missed you, buddy!

[@quentingiraux5801]

I get the hate for free floating escooters, and agree with the arguments you give in some of your responses here, but are you of the same opinion with privately owned escooters? The environmental impact is much less than shared ones, people tend to respect road rules better and wear a helmet, they do not privatize public space. There is still the problem of safety for pedestrians, but by following the road rules better, they are also safer. And, if legally allowed to be used on public spaces, they are limited to 25 kph (about 15 mph), must have front and back lights, reflectors all around, a bell and good breaks. It also allows the users to use public transports, and use it as a "last mile" solution. While I agree that this is not the best, my opinion on this issue is that we should ban free floating escooters, and keep legal the privately owned ones (but the police should do more to prevent incivilities by users)

[@vaiyaktikasolarbeam1906]

11:10 lol this is not america 25:50 true paris