Paris 2024: City’s Famed Ring Road Will Add Carpool Lane After Olympics

As Paris’ famed ring road celebrates its 50th anniversary, officials are planning major changes to the périphérique that are intended to encourage more carpooling that will go into effect following the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

In fact, that evolution will first be felt during the Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) requires host cities to create priority lanes to facilitate the movement of supporters to different sites.

That change will be made permanent after the Games. About three-quarters of the 35 kilometers of roads that encircle Paris will see the far left lane transformed into a carpool lane that can be used also by public transportation and taxis.

The program is part of a larger effort to reduce the number of cars on the roads in Paris and lower pollution. City officials know it will have a big impact on the daily lives of Parisians. According to city data, of the 1.2 million vehicles that use the road every day, 82% only carry a single person.

As in other major cities, those carpool lanes will be marked with white diamonds and will only be restricted between 6:30 am and 11 am and 3:30 pm and 8 pm. The city is paying €18.7 million for the necessary signals and cameras that can read license plates to spot cheaters.