The long minutes, sometimes the hours, stuck in the car, they know. Whether they have to take their vehicle or for comfort, Ile-de-France motorists share the same hassle: traffic jams. According to the prize list published by TomTom this Wednesday, the situation is getting worse in Ile-de-France. In 2019, a driver lost an average of 163 hours in traffic jams compared to 150 a year earlier. With a peak on December 6, the day after the first day of mobilization against the pension reform, and worst day of the year, with 1600 km of traffic jams accumulated.
At the Bir-Hakeim service station in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, Khaled, 40, takes a break, leaning against his black sedan. When the word bottling is mentioned, his reaction is epidermal. "It's maddening," he breathes, shaking his head. Private driver for several platforms, that is to say that he knows the problem. "I spend the day in the car. The worst part is the work. Sometimes it looks like it's done on purpose, or they do it where it's not needed. Site equipment is left on the road, it creates traffic jams. "
To avoid losing his nerves, he adapted his work schedules. "I no longer work in the morning, there are too many people, between those who go to work, those who drop off their children ... At the end of the day, it's quieter," he analyzes. Morning and evening, Jean-Marie leaves him from the Maison de la Radio district, where he lives, towards Gambetta, in the east of the capital. A journey of about ten kilometers.
"I happened to take two hours," he says, at the same time as he fills the tank of his car, obviously worn by the kilometers. "I couldn't do without it. I have my tools in there, and my knees hurt, so the subway stairs I can't. At 76, he says he is exhausted. "The traffic jams are more tiring than my work in the building industry," he breathes. If he accuses the road works, he more directly targets the municipality in place. “It was done on purpose to prevent us from taking the car. Except that Anne Hidalgo does not understand that it is a necessary evil, "he storms.
On good days, Florence takes thirteen minutes to travel from Malakoff to Boulogne. A duration which increases to fifty minutes certain mornings. “The most annoying thing for me is that we cannot plan. Sometimes for a week there will be no problem and one day you will take two hours. It's complicated to justify to your boss, ”regrets this 44-year-old family employee, who admits being a“ regular ”in the car. “I come from the provinces. There, without the car, we are nothing, ”she smiles.
" Public transport ? I don't really want "
For Jean too, the car is real comfort, which he sometimes pays a high price for, like during the strike. “Normally, I take 20 minutes, but I have taken more than two hours. "
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However, there is no question of changing the mode of travel. "As I am in a suit, the bike is really not great, because I sweat and then, when it is cold, I am lazy," admits the young man. What about public transport? The metro for example? "I don't really want to," he says.
To avoid daily traffic jams, Simon, 54, is watching his Waze app. By the ring road or by the docks, he tries to shorten his journey as much as possible, which takes him from Boulogne to Roissy airport, where he works for an airline company. "Fortunately, I don't have to make this trip every day," he says. Now, when it gets into traffic, it takes things for fun. "There is no point in getting upset," he laughs.
To avoid all these problems, Paul turned to the scooter. This real estate agent travels over 50 km in Paris every day. "I tried the car a month, never again," he says.
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