The nineteen-day truce between the Olympic and Paralympic Games is over: the Olympic routes are gradually being reactivated. These lanes are reserved for taxis, buses and vehicles accredited for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The Paris circuit is affected from 22 August.
For several months now, motorists and bikers have been seeing “2024 PARIS” signs on the roads. In certain cases, bollards are also installed between different routes, even if this means temporarily closing certain access points. “Paris 2024 – Authorized Vehicles” signs have also been installed, showing that the new lanes are off limits to “normal” motorists between 15 July and 3 August, and then from 22 August to 11 September.
In total, 185 km of lanes normally accessible to all are reserved for special vehicles during the two phases of the Olympic Games. People caught in flagrante delicto (police or radar) on the routes of Paris 2024 face a fine of 135 euros.
After a complicated start from July 15, especially on the road circuit, the Parisians got the hang of it. After a break of several days between the two Olympic Games, we are again going on a tour that begins on August 22 along the ring road and La Défense circular boulevard. It will be maintained on these axes until September 11.
For the A12, A13 and RN13, the Paris 2024 route will be reactivated on these axes from 27 August. For A4, it is only from August 30. You will have to wait until September 8th to use all lanes. The A1 maintains a dedicated lane until 11 September.
How many fines on the road on this first day of Paris 2024?
On July 15, the author of this article made his way to the Numerama editorial office on a scooter. The good news for him is that traffic hasn’t exploded yet. Despite several traffic jams, the circuit is not completely saturated.
On the other hand, there is bad news for the organizers of the Olympic Games: although the PARIS 2024 inscription appeared for the first time, several motorists seem to completely ignore (or ignore) the rules. We saw several trucks and individual vehicles in the left lane, as well as several motorcycles whose drivers did not understand that they no longer had the right to the left lane and the median. If the speed cameras are active from July 15th (they normally are), the fines will certainly be numerous.
On our route, this phenomenon also works on the waterfront in Bercy, despite the presence of numerous police officers. The PARIS 2024 lane, this time from the right, was regularly used by cars and trucks. The same in the opposite direction, where the traffic has stopped, even on the Paris 2024 route. In short, we will have to do a little more education.
Who has the right to drive on the Paris 2024 route? What about motorbikes and scooters?
The Paris 2024 lanes are reserved for accredited vehicles, taxis (not VTCs, many of which want to leave Paris during the Olympics), buses, vehicles for people with reduced mobility and emergency vehicles. All other people face a fine of 135 euros, which can be automated by installing radars with cameras on the edge of the road.
And the two wheels in all this? In government communication, despite numerous changes, it is largely absent. Motorcycles and scooters are subject to the same ban as cars, with a total ban on driving in the Paris 2024 lanes. Worse, on roads where the Paris 2024 lane is on the left (such as a ring road or motorway). between the two left lanes is prohibited. Officially, it moves between the two right lanes, but on July 15, no one seemed to be aware of this subtlety.
What about bikes and scooters?
As long as bicycles and scooters are not affected by the ring road and highway, they will be able to travel through the Paris 2024 lanes in the capital. Even here, despite the absence of communication, the use of the Paris 2024 route is completely prohibited for them. So the rule for bicycles is… to ride in the middle, with the risk of angering motorists, who already find it difficult to live with cyclists. There is still educational work.
