Monique is doing pretty well, but the misadventure that this 68-year-old Parisian has experienced on Sunday, Car-Free Day in the whole capital, leaves her more annoyed than ever against "this autocratic and dangerous measure", she says, of the mayor of Paris.
In the middle of the morning, this inhabitant of rue de Bretagne (3rd arrondissement), in the heart of Paris, found herself stuck in the elevator of her building, stopped dead between the 1st floor and the ground floor.
Monique then calls the emergency number of the elevator operator in her building, the Crealift company, located in the Paris suburbs.
"It's scandalous, absolutely scandalous"
The company sends a convenience store and promises it "within half an hour", the time to get to the heart of Paris ... "One Sunday, and in addition a Sunday of Car-Free Day, it must have been going well so I didn't 'was not very worried,' says the retiree, who takes her pain patiently.
But the half hour becomes an hour, then the hour has passed ...
“I called the company back because the convenience store was not arriving, the manager managed to reach him but the technician was stuck precisely because of Car Free Day!
she continues.
He was turned back to a police checkpoint installed at Porte Maillot!
It is scandalous, absolutely scandalous.
"
The convenience store had to force the dams
Rather resourceful, the convenience store will eventually pass, taking advantage of a little distraction from the control police, and Monique was "released" from her elevator two hours later.
Two hours during which she had time to think a lot about the operation ...
"I am lucky to be healthy and have a good mind, but if I had been someone fragile, or sick, what would have happened?
Such situations can lead to serious consequences, put the lives of people in danger, annoys this doctor's wife.
In our arrondissement of the 3rd arrondissement, we are really stuck because of these measures, streets closed every Sunday because of Operation Paris Respire.
It is appalling that the town hall did not manage this aspect of its Car Free Day, and considers that an elevator failure is not an emergency.
"
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At Crealift, we put things into perspective, despite the time lost at the gates of Paris.
"It's very rare, admits a manager," we make a point of honor to the speed of intervention and generally everything goes well, but it is true that it is sometimes complicated with the police officers.
Fortunately, the probability that there will be breakdowns on a driving ban day is low, but since our technicians do not have branded cars, their only professional card does not give a privilege.
"
No derogation for repairs
In fact, their interventions are not considered as emergencies and, during the annual car-free day, the Paris town hall does not issue any exemption.
Only doctors, firefighters, taxis, VTC, ambulances and buses are allowed to drive, in principle at a moderate speed of 30 km / h.
All others, including a repairman in intervention, are liable to a fine of 135 euros.
Asked, the mayor of Paris does not comment on "the incident", but ensures that "all the craftsmen who had urgent sites were allowed to pass".
In any case, in the district of rue de Bretagne, the hypercentre of the capital, every Sunday and all year round the inhabitants are thus pedestrianized and the perimeter isolated by four fixed dams and as many filter dams.
“If again the mayor of Paris offered us something to do, but no, what we are being offered is just confinement, and we are suffocating!
It is an autocratic measure, ”fulminates Monique the day after her mishap.
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