While Paris has not been known as a cycle-friendly city, all that is changing, with some 50km of bike lanes added in 2021.

It’s rush hour on the rue de Rivoli – the iconic thoroughfare that stretches through the heart of Paris – and, for a moment, the only sound to be heard is the dinging of bells. Where once this major artery would have been teeming with traffic, it is now dominated by bicycles. Other than a section of the street reserved for buses, taxis and emergency vehicles, here the cyclist is king.