50 Years of the Paris Ring Road: Its Story, Myth and Future

1973, the Parisian ring road is inaugurated which will definitively become part of the everyday life of thousands of road users, workers, people from the Paris region. Announced benefactor for the capital, it will quickly find its limits, even if it remains very borrowed today. This anniversary gives us the opportunity to look back on its history, on the myth of the black prince and on its future.

50 years of the Paris ring road: its incredible story!

INA archive video:

50 years of the Paris ring road, 50 years of saturation… This could sum up the history of the most traveled road in France. Born from a scissor cut by former Prime Minister Pierre Messmer on April 25, 1973, the ring road was, at its inauguration, a hope for Paris in order to relieve the capital of its traffic. After 17 years of work, the site having started in 1956, the ring road will have cost no less than two billion francs. A colossal sum which will pay off because, on the strength of its success, the 35 km loop will welcome around 200,000 vehicles per day from the year of its opening.

Before arriving there, the road was relatively long. The idea of ​​creating a traffic lane around Paris dates back to the early 1940s. The objective was to reduce the number of cars within the city itself and more particularly in the large boulevards such as those of the Maréchaux. With the Second World War, the project was suspended but returned immediately in 1954 with the creation of the first 5 km section in the south of “Paname”, between the gates of Italy and Châtillon and which was inaugurated in 1960.

Moreover, the famous loop which is proposed in the route of the Paris ring road is not the result of chance Indeed, it follows the route of the old Fortifications of Thiers (The name comes from that of Adolphe Thiers who chaired the project editor’s note) erected in 1840. At the time, King Louis-Philippe wanted to protect Paris from a possible foreign invasion by erecting fortifications around the city. These remained until 1919 before finally being destroyed.

Today, the ring road is used by nearly 1.1 million vehicles every day and the Paris City Hall aims to make it an “urban boulevard”. Several new regulations should be introduced such as: the installation of anti-noise coverings, the speed limit at 50 km/h or reduction from three to two lanes.

Before/After the ring road to the west of Paris where the Parc des Princes is located:

50 years of the Paris ring road: the myth of the black prince

Youtube video of the Black Prince:

There are still a few videos about the “exploits” of the famous Black Prince of the 90s on Youtube. In this video, you can (re) discover one of his runs around the ring road on the handlebars of his 1989 Suzuki GSX-R 1100, obviously unbridled. This biker had been talked about a lot at the time. There was a real mystery surrounding his identity, a myth about his illegal exits and his speed records on the circular boulevard. After research, the author would never have been arrested for his actions; he would have put an end to it of his own free will.

What to think today of these former records except that they were obviously dangerous and involved a part of irresponsibility? Adrenaline, the game of speed and death, cannot always be explained, but speed records were all the rage at that time. Moto Revue, on the occasion of a special holiday had beaten the TGV between Paris and Lyon and it had caused a stir at the Elysée. Today, given the traffic conditions, we could attempt a completely different record, with the longest lap of the ring road…

50 years of the Paris ring road: the future without motorcycles or scooters?

Coincidentally, we recently mentioned the ring road on the station with an article serving as a warning message towards a possible end of the interfile by 2024. Everything is explained here, but in essence, the creation of a “dedicated lane” for the 2024 Summer Olympics could compromise the practice of interfile for users of motorized 2/3 wheels. Nothing is done yet, but the project is cause for concern.

The end of the legal practice of interfile could be a real upheaval for users of motorcycles and scooters in the capital and the region, and unfortunately even a possible “coup de grace” for the sector. Indeed, a considerable part of the users practice the interfile on a daily basis to get to work. The routine of the ring road to save yourself the often saturated public transport, the car stuck in traffic jams and aspire to better autonomy, even if it means breathing CO2, exposing yourself to bad weather and a possible accident… but it It’s a choice made by hundreds of thousands of users all year round. What will happen if the interfile becomes prohibited? Will users-commuters turn to other solutions? Will they take their car back while still being alone inside? Will they take back a navigo pass? How many will purely and simply stop the motorcycle, the scooter? This could really have a severe impact on the sector, the thousands of jobs involved in the sale of 2/3 wheels, their maintenance, equipment…