An increasingly popular mantra of city planners is “make cities more pedestrian friendly.” During the 25 years I edited the Planning Commissioners that was a topic we often focused on. See: https://plannersweb.com/topics/planning-topics/peds/

While many North American cities have been steadily moving towards this goal (and places like Montreal have done so in a BIG way), European cities, on the whole, seem to be many kilometers ahead.

One method of making cities more pedestrian and bike friendly that has grown in popularity in Europe, especially for cities with large historic districts, is to restrict the access of vehicles in designated areas.

Lila and I first saw this when we spent several days in Montpellier, France, more than ten years ago. Retractable bollards (which can be raised and lowered) are used to block cars and trucks from entering.

There are exceptions carved out for local residents of the area; for deliveries (especially in the early morning); and for essential services like trash collection and access by maintenance contractors. The bollards are retractable in various ways, such as by using a code, card, remote control, or an intercom to call for assistance.

Strasbourg’s aim is to have fewer cars in the historic core, resulting in less noise, reduced exhaust fumes, reduced need for parking spaces, and a calmer environment where people can enjoy each other’s company and their cappuccinos outdoors. This is not a total closure of vehicular access, and there is still parking available, especially for people who live within the controlled area.

What’s more, the city’s extensive tram network plays an important role in keeping visitors’ cars out of the downtown core since it enables visitors to use peripheral parking connected to the tram system to easily access downtown shopping streets and other areas in the centre-ville. See: https://wandertoes.com/strasbourg-tram-step-by-step-guide/

I’m not aware of any North American city having anything on a comparable scale to what Strasbourg does, especially in terms of controlling vehicular access to its center city, while at the same time offering easy transit, bicycle, and pedestrian access to the center city.

In France, cities can determine in which parts of their city vehicle access should be controlled — and to what extent.

The two principal zones that Strasbourg has applied to streets in different parts of its historic core have either been:

Zone piétonne (pedestrian zone) / also referred to as Aire piétonne

* This is the strictest category. * Cars usually prohibited or heavily restricted / bicyclists are allowed, but must go slowly; yield to pedestrians and sometimes walk their bikes. * Delivery/service access only at certain times of day. * Typical of cathedral squares and shopping streets. * This describes much of central Strasbourg.

Zone de rencontre (shared priority zone)

* Middle ground. * Cars can enter, but very slowly; must yield; and cannot dominate the space. * Often used on transition streets near pedestrian cores.

You can see these areas by clicking on the map below to enlarge it.

For any of you wanting a slightly deeper dive, take a look at:

https://www.fub.fr/…/amenagements-types/aire-pietonne

https://www.fub.fr/…/amenagements-types/zone-rencontre

// Also, here’s an excerpt of what the Eurometropolis of Strasbourg has posted on its website about their system (translated from French using Reverso):

“Bicycle & Pedestrian Traffic. The facilities for pedestrians and cyclists give the city of Strasbourg an incomparable charm, much appreciated by tourists but also by locals. To avoid ‘wild and anarchic’ parking, it was necessary to find solutions to filter the cars, to prevent them from reaching certain protected areas without penalizing the residents too much. The Eurometropolis of Strasbourg has a centralized management of access controls based on retractable bollards.”

Francophones: you can read the full explanation in French for yourself at: https://www.strasbourg.eu/circulation-v%C3%A9los-et-pi%C3…

Also please note I’m just becoming familiar with how Strasbourg’s layered approach to prioritizing pedestrian needs works. If you think I got something wrong, let me know.