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Paris: traffic difficulties worry traders in the Marais

2021-11-25T05:16:48.570Z


Determined to make this district a "limited traffic zone", the Paris town hall is increasing the number of pedestrians and eliminating parking spaces, to the chagrin of traders.


Anne Hidalgo has announced that she wants to make the heart of Paris a "

peaceful zone

".

An objective not yet fully achieved, as evidenced by the incessant horns and the long lines of cars at the intersection of rue de Rivoli and rue du Renard.

Excessive traffic partly due to the many redevelopments of the roads decided by the current municipality in the Marais district, where many streets have been pedestrianized.

To read also Nicolas d'Estienne d'Orves: "The word" rampage "is too weak to describe what Paris undergoes with Anne Hidalgo"

The district is located in the heart of the "limited traffic zone" (ZTL) that the municipality wants to set up from the first half of 2022. The goal: "to

drastically reduce through traffic to give pride of place to pedestrians , bicycles and public transport

”, tweeted David Belliard, deputy (EELV) in charge of the transformation of public space, during the presentation of the project in mid-May 2021.

An ambitious project which does not seem to be favored by all the traders concerned. The transformation of the rue de Rivoli into a large cycle path? “

A moribund, empty bicycle motorway,

” says Patrick Aboukrat, owner of the Aboudabibazar clothing store and chairman of the Marais Paris committee. For several months, the collective has been standing up against the multiplication of “

spaces for

soft mobility

” and “

peaceful areas

”.

The first complaint is that these developments are reducing attendance: "

in 2016 already the closure of the quays of the Seine caused us to lose all the customers in the west of Paris

", remembers the shopkeeper, "

now it is the rue de Rivoli and the removal of parking spaces

”.

As a result, a drop in sales of “

30 to 40%

”, he explains.

Another problem is the change of audience: “

The ticket is weaker but above all it no longer consumes the same thing.

As a result, our offer is no longer suitable,

”he breathes.

An unsuitable layout

Large retailers are not spared by these difficulties. Asked last week about BFM Business, Alexandre Liot, director of Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann, said he was "

attentive, sometimes worried

". The group owns the BHV (City Hall Bazaar) in the district. For them, too, ease of access is "

extremely important

", insisted Alexandre Liot. If he does not question the desire to renew the circulation habits of Ile-de-France residents, he is critical of the method: “

should mobility evolve in Paris? Yes. Do you have to do it with a real vision, a real coherence, a real strategy? Yes too,

”he squeaks. Contacted by

Le Figaro

, the Galeries Lafayette group did not wish to expand on the subject.

To read also "It's a total rout": these Parisian businesses on the edge of the abyss

The method is also what questions Paul, manager of the Troquet du Temple rue de la Verrerie opposite the BHV: “

the arrangement was done anyhow.

They have installed trash cans and a hoop to park the bikes where I put my terrace,

”he loses his temper.

The signs are often victims of the delivery men who shave the walls of the stores.

Le Figaro

Another development problem: the removal of sidewalks, the main victims of which are signs and signs in stores.

Indeed, without these markers, the delivery men start to shave the walls.

The intention is laudable, that of not obstructing traffic.

Unfortunately, the latter do not always pay attention to the protruding signs.

The result: torn storefronts and shattered panels.

Difficult dialogue between the Town Hall and traders

In general, "

the traffic has become so complicated that it is no longer respected and it becomes much more dangerous

", adds Paul when a delivery truck takes the street in the wrong direction to park a little further. Same story with Guillaume Dellesse. This florist is located in one of the last major arteries in the district still entirely dedicated to car traffic. Already busy in the past, it now recovers all of the surrounding traffic. “

It's super noisy and dangerous and motorists can't stop shopping because they can't park.

», Explains the young man.

Normally congested traffic can quickly turn into a real traffic jam at the slightest complication (delivery, breakdown, etc.)

Read also Friend makes the heart of Galeries Lafayette beat (again)

For Patrick Aboukrat, who arrived in the district in 1985, this would never have happened under a former majority: “were

there demonstrations by traders in front of the town hall under Jacques Chirac or Bertrand Delanoë?

», He pretends to ask himself, before answering so curtly:«

we have already done two since this summer

». He says he no longer knows what to do to challenge the municipality. He nevertheless explored several avenues, including a rather original one: in July he had released a t-shirt stamped #saccageparis; "

It is still on sale and is very successful,

" he laughs. Contacted by

Le Figaro,

the City of Paris has not yet responded to our requests.

Repeated work suffocates neighborhood businesses.

Le Figaro

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2021-11-25

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