BBTM vs. ATM
Night Bike... Paris by night. Boat Cruise down the Seine. Lots of wine. Berthillon’s Ice Cream. It doesn’t get better than that. But wait... I forgot the most exciting part. Going 10 blocks down the most crazy idea in urban planning EVER – the Bike/Bus/Taxi/Motorcycle lane.... no really. You can’t make up something this bizarre. They have paired the most defenseless mode of transportation with three of the scariest vehicles ever!
I’ve started to compare everything to the animal kingdom (because that’s the analogy I use on my tours)... so if bikes are like gazelles – then buses are elephants, taxis are tigers, and motorcycles are velociraptors (ignore the obvious discrepancy of time periods). Other bikes are like... mongooses. Fierce. Alone. Fighting for survival. But cute and cuddly all the same. (Ok... so my analogy breaks down there... just go with it.)
Boulevard St. Germain – the BBTM (Bike/Bus/Taxi/Motorcycle) lane. Nerve wracking. Scary. Logistical nightmare. But for some reason... so much fun. And although, I don’t think anything will ever top the ATM (Advanced Traffic Maneuver) of Day Bike... this is definitely crazier.
But the ATM is probably my favorite part of Day Bike. This is how I explain the ATM at the Pont Alexandre III, “So we are about to hit the Class 5 Rapids of the bike tour. The ATM. Get ready. So we are going to go down this bike path all the way down the river. We will come to a red light. We will wait for a “fresh” red light. At that time, we will swarm the crosswalk. Pack everyone in there. Now... when the light turns green, we will storm the intersection. You will see a red light... ignore it! We will run the red light and flow into the Place de la Concorde. Now... being from Texas, we will be shouting “Yeeeehawwww,” as we ride into the Place de la Concorde. Ready?”... Basically, this is the most fun anyone has on the bike tour... its awesome. Its a rush... you literally FLY into the Place de la Concorde in front of all this traffic... its great.
So although the BBTM lane is a ridiculous idea... you never get to fly.
Boulevard St. Germain – the BBTM (Bike/Bus/Taxi/Motorcycle) lane. Nerve wracking. Scary. Logistical nightmare. But for some reason... so much fun. And although, I don’t think anything will ever top the ATM (Advanced Traffic Maneuver) of Day Bike... this is definitely crazier.
But the ATM is probably my favorite part of Day Bike. This is how I explain the ATM at the Pont Alexandre III, “So we are about to hit the Class 5 Rapids of the bike tour. The ATM. Get ready. So we are going to go down this bike path all the way down the river. We will come to a red light. We will wait for a “fresh” red light. At that time, we will swarm the crosswalk. Pack everyone in there. Now... when the light turns green, we will storm the intersection. You will see a red light... ignore it! We will run the red light and flow into the Place de la Concorde. Now... being from Texas, we will be shouting “Yeeeehawwww,” as we ride into the Place de la Concorde. Ready?”... Basically, this is the most fun anyone has on the bike tour... its awesome. Its a rush... you literally FLY into the Place de la Concorde in front of all this traffic... its great.
So although the BBTM lane is a ridiculous idea... you never get to fly.
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