# Imagine Paris without cars



## bulldog1935 (Dec 8, 2013)

http://janheine.wordpress.com/2013/12/06/cycling-under-the-german-occupation/ 

Great article about the effect of the occupation on the development of lightweight bicycles.  

and why - pedal taxis, and the daily race from Paris to gather produce from remote farms.


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## GiovanniLiCalsi (Dec 8, 2013)

Very interesting article and photos.
You never get to see the bicyclists side of the German occupation in France.


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## Hermanator3 (Dec 8, 2013)

Terrific link!  Thanks for sharing this with us.


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## bulldog1935 (Dec 9, 2013)

GiovanniLiCalsi said:


> Very interesting article and photos.
> You never get to see the bicyclists side of the German occupation in France.




I think the point is Everybody became cyclists during the occupation, and the lightweight bicycle industry boomed - private citizens could not buy gasoline.  Something similar happened in all of Europe - Holland, England - driving a surge in bicycle development equivalent only to the military bicycle boom of the late 19th century that had culminated in standardization of chain drive.  
The link to the Nazi newsreel of the pedal taxi races is pretty cool

[video]http://www.tubechop.com/watch/1491734[/video]


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