October 15, 2009 – Odds and Sods #2 – The Mean Streets of Paris

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean the unsafe or dangerous streets of Paris. Sure any major city has its share of lovers, muggers and thieves. Hold onto your wallet in the crowded streets that attract tourists to protect yourself from either pick-pockets or scammers selling you gold rings that they found at your feet. No, I mean “look both ways before you cross the street” dangerous.

Paris is one of the most densely populated major metropolitan cities in the world. I mean Paris proper; those 20 arrondissements that the true Parisian considers Paris….not unlike what we New Yorkers consider New York [Manhattan] or a DC’er considers DC [inside the beltway]. True Paris is crowded. Inside true Paris, you buy or rent your flat very close to where you work. You don’t have a car. You use public transport for a stop or two or walk. Sure, you give up living space. A large Paris flat is about as small as what we are living just now, 53 sq.m. [570 sq.ft]. And about 40 percent of the folks live alone!... Don’t get me started on that one….that is material for another blog and why the French all have pets or why there are so many little parks dotted all around Paris.

But public transportation is the rule, although as I observe on my daily run, it’s hard to tell. The traffic in Paris is horrible [and the driver’s are super aggressive]. I think that’s why the city planners came up with an ingenious way to improve traffic flow. One-way streets. Sure, all major cities have one-way streets but not quite like Paris.

Yes, DC [and maybe some other cities] have timed one-way streets [like Rock Creek Park] where during rush hour, the entire roadway is one way or the other. And some other cities have bridges, roadways, or streets that have moving Jersey barriers or are just simply sign-posted to say "in the AM three of these five lanes are in-bound" and "in the PM three of these five lanes are out-bound". But the French have taken it to a new level.

For example, Boulevard St. Michel is a 4-lane street. At one point, it was 2 lanes each way. The city planners decided to make it a one-way street. Then they decided to make one lane dedicated to public transportation and taxis (and bicycles). This is a good idea and not something new. Britain, for example, has been doing this for years. Except in Britain, the dedicated public transportation lanes have been repaved in bright bold red tarmacadam. I know this because I have been pulled over by a friendly Bobby or two who explained to me the difference between the dark black tarmacadam and the red tarmacadam.

However, the Paris city planners decided to make one of the public transportation lanes on St. Michel [and other main streets] travel in the opposite direction from the other three lanes. !!! This is still a good idea except that this one lane is not paved in red tarmacadam. All that is marked on the street is “Danger a Gauche”. So as you are looking to your right onto the three lanes of traffic bearing down on you, that five ton bus coming the opposite way up the “one-way” street has your name on it, en francais!!! Luckily Katherine has snatched me from this perilous situation several times, although she is certain that I am going to “buy it” one of these days when I am out wandering the streets of Paris on my own, sans chaperone…