Paris removed every stop sign but traffic runs smoother than ever

The city of Paris has removed every stop sign.

Yes, you read that right – the iconic city does not have any stop signs.

But the Parisian people have not completely lost their minds.

It’s actually because they have found a system that ensures that, despite the switch, traffic runs smoother than ever.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie

Paris abandons the stop sign completely

If you have been to Paris lately, then you might have noticed something interesting.

Even if you haven’t, then you might well have seen it in the news.

The ‘City of Lights’ is cutting-edge when it comes to fashion and other fields.

But it turns out that the Parisians have been innovative in a very different way.

And that is because the French capital removed every stop sign.

Back in 2016, all stop signs within the city limits were removed by the Paris Police Prefecture.

This move came alongside the decision to ban vehicle traffic through the city center, as well as to discourage larger, heavier vehicles from the middle of Paris.

It has actually been found that an abundance of stop signs can compound traffic problems.

And police stops for traffic violations can end up compounding the problem entirely.

Clearly, then, Paris thinks that things can (and should) be done better.

So what has the city done to improve traffic?

French capital’s traffic improves noticeably

It turns out that the ‘City of Lights’ has employed a combination of systems.

A sophisticated combination of roundabouts, yield signs, and giving way to the right is the system in question.

Stop lights exist at major intersections with very heavy traffic flow.

Because of the systems in place, as well as the constant flow of traffic, Parisian drivers are encouraged to be much more alert at all times.

In fairness, this combination of systems isn’t necessarily unique to the French capital.

It tends to be fairly commonplace across most major European cities.

Of course, cities in Europe are designed quite differently from cities in the US.

Narrow, winding roads and safety crossings tend to prioritise safety and pedestrian traffic.

And yet the absence of stop sign usage appears to be working very well for Paris.

But what is interesting about the general traffic trend is that European systems are starting to be used in the US.

Roundabouts have recently been making the news in Kentucky and Connecticut.

Videos have been going viral of American drivers struggling to make sense of the concept.

In its defense, the roundabout is a fairly new concept to the majority of US states.

However, whether a removal of the stop sign could ever work in American cities like it has in Paris remains to be seen.