10 Days to Cross the Ring Road at 50 km/h

There will therefore be no public debate, nor consultation on the ring road, just an irrevocable decision made by the City of Paris.

“Regarding the speed limit reduction to 50 km/h on the ring road, the Mayor of Paris acknowledges, regrettably, the disagreement of the minister but will implement the measure on October 1st.” In other words, it shows that external opinions have no importance when a unilateral decision has been made. No great analysis is ultimately needed when reading the press release received this week from the Ministry responsible for transport.

But since the press release comes from the office of our new Minister of Transport, Mr. François Durovray, we hope for a sharp retort or at least a willingness to debate. But no, and proof of this is: “The minister regrets this decision which will affect millions of Parisians. He reminds that no impact study exists on this issue. Respectful of the autonomy of local authorities, he acknowledges this decision, which is legally the sole purview of the Mayor of Paris.”

Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, October 1st, the inner ring road, bordering Paris, will be limited to 50 km/h instead of 70 km/h on the stretch from Porte des Lilas in the northeast to Porte d’Orléans in the south. It will then take six nights to install the new signage, which will of course entail the closure of certain lanes, even entire stretches. By the morning of October 10th, the entire 35 km of the Paris ring road will be limited to 50 km/h.

The City of Paris promises that there will be no fines during this transition period. Rest assured, the grace period will last only as long as it takes to install the new signage and recalibrate the radars. Furthermore, we had questioned the access of unlicensed vehicles such as scooters and small cars. They will indeed remain prohibited on the Paris loop.