Paul Vary dreamed of a cycling revolution. Then SUV crushed it

Cycling odds in Paris have increased in recent years. But the death of the 27 -year -old Paul Vari – who is claimed to have been driven by a driver – has exposed the darker side of the cycling revolution in Paris.

“It was no accident,” Paul Correntin's colleague believes.

We stand on the edge of a bicycle lane on Maleshire Boulevard, on the way from where Paul was crushed by SUV on October 15, 2024.

The moments preceding his death are the subject of a criminal investigation.

Paul was moving home from work. The path of the cycle is separated from the road by a slightly raised curb.

According to witnesses and CCTV, the SUV driver has started driving in the bicycle lane. Prosecutors claim that the driver has passed over Paul's feet. Paul hit a fist on the lid.

At first, the motorist turned, but then he seemed to be 27-year-old. An autopsy confirmed “the marks of the vehicle crossing its body.”

The 52-year-old driver is charged with murder. The lawyer tells him that he may have lost control of the vehicle in a stressful situation that he is trying to get out of.

During the hearing, which was attended by the AFP News Agency, he burst into tears and said, “I'm sorry for the incident. I never wanted to manage it. “

Paris saw a jump in cycling as part of a broader transformation, headed by Mayor Anne Idalgo. Over the last decade, the city has invested € 400 million (€ 331 million) in cycling infrastructure, creating more than 1,000 kilometers of bicycle sails.

According to a recent study, cycling now represents more than 11% of Paris trips, compared to only 4% by car. Walking is still the most popular way of bypassing – it represents 53% of trips, followed by public transport (30%).

But despite the investment, the cycling in Paris still feels insecure.

Bicycle lanes are spots, have no uniformity and often do not have traffic lights. Road -related rules are not always clear and often discarded, which makes it difficult to safely navigate cyclists.

Paul Vary's death was exceptional, but it resonated and became a symbol of the daily struggle for space on the streets of Paris.

His mother Natalie Tyson remembers her son as a carefree spirit, who embraced the freedom of cycling. “He was a very happy and very bubble, had a wonderful sense of humor and was always very gentle with the people around him. It was such an injustice because he didn't deserve what had happened at all.”

She told me that she had always been concerned about her son's dangers of riding in Paris, where she found a sense of right among some drivers.

“Drivers can be super aggressive – nothing can prevent them,” she said. “For some, the car is a continuation of their sadness and if someone touches their car … This is taken as a personal attack.

“I was afraid of him.”

Paul understood these risks and was an active member of the Cycling Group Paris En Selle – Paris in the saddle. He held a campaign for in addition to bicycle space and more favorable intersections.

Defenders hope the progress made in Paris will continue.

Remy Ferraud, a socialist senator and Anne Hidalgo's best choice for the future mayor, does not dream of a future without cars, “because there are Parisians who have cars.”

“But by reducing the car space, we book it for those who really have to come by car,” he says. “We want a city that is a 100% cycle … This is a proposal for freedom.”

Carving more street space for cyclists involves limiting the space for cars. The number of parking spaces in Paris has been reduced by half and some vehicles are forbidden to drive through the city.

Some drivers, especially those of the suburbs, believe that policies to reduce cars in the city make their lives difficult.

“Driving in Paris is like going to war,” says Shami, a 24-year-old midwife. “No rules.” I sit in his car as he crosses a bicycle path – he cannot turn because people go there, and in front of us cars are armor for armor.

What does he do if there is a confrontation with a cyclist? “I'm just saying I'm sorry.”

Shami drops me as we approach an area in the city center, where it is expelled through traffic – one of several measures that attracted anger from business owners.

Patrick Abont, who owns a fashion boutique in the shopping district of Marays, has launched a lawsuit with other members of Comité Marais Paris, the business association that leads to try to return some of the new rules.

He says they lose customers and that some plan to sell. “When young people say they want to open a store, I say,” Open a shop in the suburbs, go out of Paris. “

“We understand the need to have less cars in the center. I tell the mayor that we want to work together, to change the plan. But they don't listen. It's ideological.”

But Féraud, the senator, instead suggests that growing online shopping is to blame.

According to polls, most of those living within the main Paris ring – of which only 30% own a car – do not mind measures to limit traffic.

Those on the outskirts tend to drive more, but they are not allowed to vote for the mayor of Paris or to influence his movement policies.

Alexandra legend, who is a group for lobbyists of motorists – the league of the drivers' defense – says: “Nobody (drives) for pleasure in Paris, this is hell.” She believes the authorities have prioritized cyclists at the expense of everyone else.

She accuses politicians of having blinked at the desire to turn Paris into a heaven of cyclists – ignoring road safety. She insists that car drivers cannot be treated as “the only bad guys.”

There is a consensus that Paul Vary's death was a tragedy, but D -Legendre doesn't think it had nothing to do with being a cyclist.

Paris focuses on the challenges of its cycling revolution, as European capitals are under pressure to limit carbon -related transport. The EU Green Deal aims to achieve a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Correntin, Paul's colleague, points out that while Paris is still far from the perfect, the infrastructure has improved significantly, which makes it easier and more fascinated than ever to enjoy the view.

“We are in one of the most beautiful cities in the world and there is no better way to see it than from a bike.”

The constant flow of cyclists bursting on Rue de Rivoli – which was the main highway until 2020 – suggests that the transition to urban spaces convenient for motorcycles is irreversible.

Paul's mother hopes the safe transformation of the streets in Paris will be part of her son's legacy.

There is no date for the test yet.

When she finally shows up, she will face her face with the man who is accused of for the first time that she caused her son's death for the first time.

He is a four -year -old father, the authorities told her. Two families, she said, were “broken”.

She believes that the way he lived and died Paul must be a catalyst for change.

“He was so bright, intelligent, sensitive – this is such a loss. And we are reduced to a thousand pieces. We have to ask ourselves, what society do we want to live in?”