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VIDEO: Work begins on final stage to make Paris’ Place de la Bastille pedestrian friendly
The Local France - news@thelocal.fr
Published: 6 Nov, 2019 CET.
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Place de la Bastille will connect with the Canal Saint-Martin. Photo: Jean Baptiste Gurliat/Ville de Paris
The final stages of work began on Wednesday to transform one of Paris’ most famous places the Place de la Bastille from a giant roundabout into a green pedestrian space.
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Place de la Bastille is one of several Paris squares to be getting a pedestrian-friendly makeover as part of the plans of Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo to make the city greener
On Wednesday the final phase of the works began - removing five huge steel beams of 30 tonnes each, dating from 1890, from the end of the square to reconnect it to the Canal Saint-Martin.
Nouvelle étape de la métamorphose de la place de la Bastille, 5 poutres en acier de 20m de long et de 30 tonnes qui recouvraient le canal Saint-Martin depuis 1890 sont enlevées ce matin. Le métal sera réemployé pour créer des bancs. #ParisSeTransforme pic.twitter.com/Qgx0awLHks
— Christophe Najdovski (@C_Najdovski) November 6, 2019
As well as opening up the square to the canal basin - which has been partially covered over since Metro Line 1 was built in 1900 - the works will also significantly reduce space for traffic and create a giant pedestrian plaza, as well as an interchange for cyclists to connect several different cycle paths.
Jean-Louis Missika, the Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of urban planning, told Le Monde: “The renovation of the Bastille, like that of the Place de la Nation, symbolises our global approach: make room for pedestrians and bicycles and not only for cars, integrate plants and be a place of life and not just a place of passage, be inclusive thanks to a breadcrumb trail on the ground throughout the square for the visually impaired.”
IN PICTURES: How seven famous Paris landmarks will look after a makeover
Photo: Jean Baptiste Gurliat/Ville de Paris
As well as Place de la Bastille - a significant site in French history as the Bastille prison which was stormed at the beginning of the French Revolution was located to the west of the current square - Place de la Nation, Place du Pantheon, Place d’Italie, Place de la Madeleine, Place Gambetta and Place des Fetes are also getting pedestrian-friendly makeovers in the €50 million project.
La place de la #Bastille continue sa mue et s’ouvre sur le Port de l’Arsenal après ce spectaculaire retrait de poutres (datant de 1890!). D’un rond-point dédié aux voitures, cette place maintenant connectée au Canal redonne place aux piétons et à la végétalisation #ParisPlusBelle pic.twitter.com/BOlyWLco8o
— Célia Blauel (@Celia_Blauel) November 6, 2019
In total, pedestrians and cyclists will gain 50 percent more space on the squares in a move to significantly decrease traffic.
Since the beginning of her term in office, Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo has prioritised making Paris into a more pedestrian friendly city, with a huge number of roadworks to improve walking and cycling spaces, as well as restrictions on such as banner older diesel vehicles from the centre of Paris during the week.
READ ALSO: Metro strike shows how Paris could become a cycling city (once the roadworks end)
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