4 ms·

Mostly it makes it impossible to drive in Paris. When I come to Paris from the UK, I now try to fly because gare du nord is surrounded by a gigantic moat of tra

by cm2187 4y ago

Mostly it makes it impossible to drive in Paris. When I come to Paris from the UK, I now try to fly because gare du nord is surrounded by a gigantic moat of traffic jams. Not sure it is a win for the environment.

ohbtvz 4y ago
As if there weren't traffic jams to/from the airport? You're in Paris, which has extensive public transport. Just use that!
- Scoundreller 4y ago
  And in the roads in the airport.
micromacrofoot 4y ago
why does anyone need to drive in paris
- nickserv 4y ago
  ... and why would you want to?
- abainbridge 4y ago
  Commercial traffic needs to drive - trucks and vans need cannot easily be replaced with public transport. I live on a busy road in Cambridge UK. At rush hour the traffic is about 50% commercial. I don't know what the proportion is in Paris, but my expectation is that the roads would still have lots of motor vehicle traffic even once you convert everything that can be to bike/public transport.
  - antihero 4y ago
    I would suggest that if people only used motor vehicles when absolutely necessary the roads would be blissful.
  - SECProto 4y ago
    > At rush hour the traffic is about 50% commercial. Note that the removal of the other 50% of traffic would easily shift the road from a traffic jam (Level of Service E or F) to a free-flowing road (LOS C). Even if only a fraction of the overall traffic is removed, traffic would easily get down to LOS D. This is exactly why encouraging other modes of transportation (cycling, walking, bus, train, etc) actually causes big improvements for all road users.
  - micromacrofoot 4y ago
    Why does commercial traffic drive during rush hour
    - abainbridge 4y ago
      Good question. I'm thinking of morning rush hour because that I did a traffic survey then. I noticed a lot of building trades vehicles. All the trades people seem to want to be at their site for the day by 8.30am. I guess that is so they can do a full day's work before it gets dark (which is at 3.30pm in winter). There is also a lot of food suppliers delivering in time for catering teams to make lunch in schools, offices, cafes etc. I probably shouldn't have called it rush hour. The traffic is busy from 7am until 7pm on weekdays.
- pookah 4y ago
  During the crazy pandemic situation I'd much rather be driving in my own car than chilaxing on a bus with forty random people. Driving has it's place.
  - amrocha 4y ago
    No it doesn't, feel free to bike if you don't want to ride the subway
  - micromacrofoot 4y ago
    indeed, public transportation is for poor people
andylynch 4y ago
Maybe take a local train onward from one of the other forty platforms? By several counts that is the busiest railway station in the world outside of Japan so of course it’s a busy area. I wouldn’t seriously consider driving to St Pancras either barring a taxi for an early trip.
netsharc 4y ago
Your statement really confuses me. You say Gare Du Nord because presumably you've been taking the Eurostar. Do you then take a rental car either way? (from GdN or from the airport). Seems like a nitpick to excuse your behaviour: that the traffic is bad in one specific area of Paris (as if it's bad only around there), so it means you'd have to take the plane...
- cm2187 4y ago
  uber/taxi. Metro doesn't really work for the local leg beside being filthy and with very long connections (chatelet) + luggage.
  - antihero 4y ago
    It really isn’t that bad unless you’re a total snob.
  - netsharc 4y ago
    Well, having a few more pieces of the incomplete puzzle, my thought would be, maybe you can take the metro 1 or 2 stations to a less jammed area and then Uber from there. But well, maybe that's out of the question if you can't deal with the "filthy" conditions.
bluecalm 4y ago
Traffic jams are caused by cars. Just look what's in front of you 99% of the time. Cars make it dangerous/inconvenient/slower to use more reasonable (which means smaller) means of transportation. It's high time we stop prioritizing them and giving them 90% of city space.
Schroedingersat 4y ago
If there are literally enough people in an area that you physically cannot fit a car with safe following distance for everyone there then maybe forcing them all into cars isn't the best way to solve congestion?
antihero 4y ago
Unlucky, perhaps don’t add to it? :)

by cm2187 4y ago

ohbtvz 4y ago

As if there weren't traffic jams to/from the airport? You're in Paris, which has extensive public transport. Just use that!

Scoundreller 4y ago
And in the roads in the airport.

micromacrofoot 4y ago

why does anyone need to drive in paris

nickserv 4y ago
... and why would you want to?
abainbridge 4y ago
Commercial traffic needs to drive - trucks and vans need cannot easily be replaced with public transport. I live on a busy road in Cambridge UK. At rush hour the traffic is about 50% commercial. I don't know what the proportion is in Paris, but my expectation is that the roads would still have lots of motor vehicle traffic even once you convert everything that can be to bike/public transport.
- antihero 4y ago
  I would suggest that if people only used motor vehicles when absolutely necessary the roads would be blissful.
- SECProto 4y ago
  > At rush hour the traffic is about 50% commercial. Note that the removal of the other 50% of traffic would easily shift the road from a traffic jam (Level of Service E or F) to a free-flowing road (LOS C). Even if only a fraction of the overall traffic is removed, traffic would easily get down to LOS D. This is exactly why encouraging other modes of transportation (cycling, walking, bus, train, etc) actually causes big improvements for all road users.
- micromacrofoot 4y ago
  Why does commercial traffic drive during rush hour
  - abainbridge 4y ago
    Good question. I'm thinking of morning rush hour because that I did a traffic survey then. I noticed a lot of building trades vehicles. All the trades people seem to want to be at their site for the day by 8.30am. I guess that is so they can do a full day's work before it gets dark (which is at 3.30pm in winter). There is also a lot of food suppliers delivering in time for catering teams to make lunch in schools, offices, cafes etc. I probably shouldn't have called it rush hour. The traffic is busy from 7am until 7pm on weekdays.
pookah 4y ago
During the crazy pandemic situation I'd much rather be driving in my own car than chilaxing on a bus with forty random people. Driving has it's place.
- amrocha 4y ago
  No it doesn't, feel free to bike if you don't want to ride the subway
- micromacrofoot 4y ago
  indeed, public transportation is for poor people

andylynch 4y ago

Maybe take a local train onward from one of the other forty platforms? By several counts that is the busiest railway station in the world outside of Japan so of course it’s a busy area. I wouldn’t seriously consider driving to St Pancras either barring a taxi for an early trip.

netsharc 4y ago

Your statement really confuses me. You say Gare Du Nord because presumably you've been taking the Eurostar. Do you then take a rental car either way? (from GdN or from the airport). Seems like a nitpick to excuse your behaviour: that the traffic is bad in one specific area of Paris (as if it's bad only around there), so it means you'd have to take the plane...

cm2187 4y ago
uber/taxi. Metro doesn't really work for the local leg beside being filthy and with very long connections (chatelet) + luggage.
- antihero 4y ago
  It really isn’t that bad unless you’re a total snob.
- netsharc 4y ago
  Well, having a few more pieces of the incomplete puzzle, my thought would be, maybe you can take the metro 1 or 2 stations to a less jammed area and then Uber from there. But well, maybe that's out of the question if you can't deal with the "filthy" conditions.

bluecalm 4y ago

Traffic jams are caused by cars. Just look what's in front of you 99% of the time. Cars make it dangerous/inconvenient/slower to use more reasonable (which means smaller) means of transportation. It's high time we stop prioritizing them and giving them 90% of city space.

Schroedingersat 4y ago

If there are literally enough people in an area that you physically cannot fit a car with safe following distance for everyone there then maybe forcing them all into cars isn't the best way to solve congestion?

antihero 4y ago

Unlucky, perhaps don’t add to it? :)