The videos toured social networks: Monday, when Paris and the inner suburbs had just passed into the maximum alert zone, leading to new restrictions to curb the spread of the epidemic, hundreds of travelers found themselves crowded and stranded in the corridors of the metro.
Line 13 once again suffered the ire of passengers massed near platforms made difficult to access by the overabundance of passengers.
Read also: Covid-19: the disaffection of public transport worries the regions
On Monday, the Paris police chief, Didier Lallement, confirmed that public transport would not be subject to any new restrictions, at least for now, unlike many other places of contact such as sports halls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, congresses or bars.
This difference in treatment was noted by metro users, not understanding why these often crowded places were not more controlled by the authorities.
This Tuesday, the Minister for Transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, came to provide some answers.
"
Public transport is not a particular place of contamination
", he justified himself, recalling that "
all scientific studies prove that less than 1% of contamination occurs in transport
".
In this, the “
extremely strict health protocol
”, already in place in these transit places and in particular the wearing of the compulsory mask is enough to limit the risks as much as possible.
Few clusters identified in transport
On this point, the data from Public Health France confirm the statements of the Minister Delegate.
Out of all the 2,830 clusters identified between May 9 and September 28 by the institution, transport (plane, boat and train) represented only 1.2% of the total and an extreme minority of clusters in investigation course.
Contamination mainly takes place in “
businesses outside health establishments
”, for a quarter, in “
schools and universities
”, for a fifth, and in “
health establishments
” or in “
public or private events and temporary gatherings of people
”, for one tenth each.
In mid-June, an opinion from the High Council of Public Health considered public transport as “
closed places at risk of transmission of the virus
”.
Several recommendations were made to limit the risks, including hand hygiene, "
control of passenger flows
", vehicle ventilation, cleaning and disinfection, as well as compliance with barrier gestures.
Wearing a mask remained the central measure.
This last obligation is also respected by the overwhelming majority of users, who are "
magnificently civilians
", reports Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), which manages networks in the region.
The RATP and IDFM both confirm the low risk of contamination in transport.
The Ile-de-France authority recalls that it has put in place a set of “
effective and strict measures
” on its network, including disinfection by nebulization and the possibility of purchasing its contactless ticket, via the mobile application or by SMS.
“
The sanitary rules are stricter in transport than in bars.
Wearing the mask is, for example, permanent,
”recalls IDFM in parallel.
“
We are not aware of any clusters in public transport.
All studies, including abroad, show that these places are safe.
The measures taken are sufficient to ensure that the risk of contamination is limited
”, describes the institution.
In the current state of knowledge on the virus, the measures already in force must be sufficient to reduce the risk as much as possible while allowing users to move around, therefore believe the players in the sector.
Attendance still limited
In addition, as Jean-Baptiste Djebbari reminded us, there is today an “
overabundance of supply
” for travelers, allowing, in normal times, to “
relieve transport congestion
”.
Contacted, the RATP confirms this aspect: for the time being, attendance on the Ile-de-France network has peaked at 65% of normal, but exceeds 80% on the bus.
The return of travelers is gradually taking place, to such an extent that the RATP hopes to reach “
80% to 90%
” by the end of 2020. The transport offer has returned to normal, therefore providing 100% of the offer for only 65% of travelers.
The absence of tourists, the development of alternative modes of transport and teleworking at the same time reduce the pressure on the lines.
The particularly impressive images shared Monday on social networks are the result of "
malfunctions
" on line 13, a situation that is avoidable, therefore, he qualified.
"
There was a combination of circumstances, with two incidents in a row
", explains the RATP.
Some accuse the political oppositions of the left of instrumentalizing these incidents and the images of passengers massed to criticize the regional authorities as well as the government.
"
It's an easy attack against Valérie Pécresse, with the approach of the elections
", whistles a representative.
“
What is irresponsible is to ask to double the trains when we are already at 100% supply for 60% of travelers compared to pre-Covid.
The problem of overcrowding does not come from the supply of trains but from malfunctions,
”said Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, questioned by the railwayman inserted at the CGT Thomas Portes.
Teleworking and smoothing of arrival times: additional solutions to avoid crowds
Other leads can however be put back on the loom to strengthen passenger protection.
Île-de-France mobilités recalls the importance of recourse to teleworking, also defended by the government, as well as the smoothing of schedules to avoid congestion of networks.
“
In Île-de-France, there is a real concern of congestion during rush hour, especially in the morning.
We may be able to transform users' fears into an opportunity to adopt new work habits
, ”explains IDFM.
The institution reports that the human resources managers of the companies of three major employment centers - the Plaine Saint-Denis, La Défense and Corbeil-Essonnes - are considering concluding local agreements to smooth out the hours of arrival at work between them. , in order to protect their employees while avoiding congestion in transport.
A positive approach that IDFM welcomes.
For the time being, there is no question of seeing the return, on a regional scale, of the famous employer certificate reserving transport to certain audiences during peak hours and removed in mid-June.
His return is "
not planned for the moment
", we are told.
A precision which however leaves the door open to its reuse in the event of strong progression of the epidemic.
For the moment, the region prefers to let companies organize themselves for the months to come, in order to avoid arriving at this particularly restrictive measure.
For its part, the RATP believes that the measures currently in place will be sufficient to contain the risk of contamination, even if transport numbers increase in the coming months.
The group will all the same set up with the SNCF a “
task force
” allowing the rapid deployment of up to 150 additional people in the event of heavy traffic on the network.
These agents will channel the flows, so that the scenes of gatherings on the platforms of line 13, in the corridors of the metro or in the RER B are repeated.
For its part, the SNCF recalls that its health rules "
have been the same since deconfinement
".
The company does not intend to modify them for the moment, considering them sufficient.
The message is clear: taking the metro is now less risky than drinking a beer on the terrace.