Paris is going to allow cyclists to skip red lights

New traffic lights will allow cyclists to ride straight-on or turn right, even when cars are stuck on red

(AFP/GETTY)

Cyclists in Paris are to be allowed to ride through red lights, as city authorities seek to cut pollution levels by tempting more people out of their cars

A network of new traffic lights for bikes will allow cyclists to either ride straight ahead or turn right, even when cars are stuck on red.

Tests carried out in 2012 suggested that allowing cyclists more freedom would improve the flow of traffic and cut the number of collisions, especially those involving a car’s blind spot.

The lights will be installed at junctions in the capital between July and the end of September, the office of Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said.

Smog this summer has prompted city authorities to redouble their efforts to boost cycling at the expense of car journeys, while restrictions on driving have been imposed in the centre of Paris.

(Office of the Mayor of Paris)

A city-wide network of cycle paths and 10,000 bicycle parking spaces are also being created, part of a drive to ensure that 15 per cent of journeys are by bike, the BBC reported.

Where the lights are not installed, cyclists will have to abide by normal traffic lights – and will be still be expected to give way pedestrians where appropriate.

In 2007, Paris introduced its ‘Velib’ cycle hire scheme – three years before London introduced so-called ‘Boris Bikes’. It has 1,230 stations and 19,000 bikes, compared to 742 and 11,500 in London.

Ms Hidalgo said last year that she wanted the centre of the city to become “semi-pedestrianised”.