Hey Lagunatics Hello from Paris

In every corner you find....

Hello, all you wannabe bike riders!

It's been the first time I've been on a bike in 30 years!! We are in Paris, and I decided to try once again. I loved biking, as a child. How wonderful to feel the wind against my face, and my feet peddling me again, my heart pounding! I feel safe. I am going to ride my first time down a street closed off to cars, one of many, alternating weekly throughout this beautiful city.

I realize, sadly, that I will never ride a bike in the village where we live ...Laguna. I feel protected and secure in the middle of this bustling city. Here in Paris the government is concerned about my safety and the safety of pedestrians. I realize I will NEVER ride down LCR, and NEVER  on PCH. I am fearful. Since I am unskilled and a novice, I won't ride on our hills, fearful I might fall. Only a flat street feels safe. 

In Paris, the bikers ride in the bus lanes, and no cars can cut in and out. Today I tried it. I wore my helmet. The rental bike was affordable and I could leave  it at my destination. So... now that I rediscovered a new treat...what about my safety when I return home? Again, I realize I will not be riding any bicycles in Laguna. What to do ???

L to R:   Under Mayor Anne Hidalgo's plan to remove private cars from Paris many streets are redesignated bike and pedestrian only pathways.  This shoreline was formerly a motorway and parking-lot is now a public Parklett. Another motorway now exclusively for cyclists and pedestrians.

No fear here!

From Paris with Love, 

and car free,

Jahn M. Levitt