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Alert: cars are finally back at the Trocadéro!

undefined undefined 7 février 2025 undefined 13h00

The Editor

© ivanpotapoff / Shutterstock

It's this Tuesday, February 4th, that the verdict has finally come in. After months of requests from the 16th Arrondissement's Town Hall, much to Anne Hidalgo's dismay, the concrete blocks that have reduced traffic on the Trocadéro square since the Olympics are set to be removed very soon.

For several months now, a power struggle has been underway between the City Hall of Paris and the 16th arrondissement. On one side, Anne Hidalgo, determined to implement yet another greening project at the foot of the Iron Lady, resulting in the removal of certain traffic lanes and thus a reduction in the number of cars. On the other side, the arrondissement, advocating for the traffic jams and safety issues caused by such a transformation. And while the mayor had taken advantage of the Olympics to impose some partial restrictions, the situation should very soon return to normal. Let us explain. 


A matter of safety and comfort

Set up to block traffic during the Olympic Games and ..."Paralympics, the concrete blocks that have been blocking traffic throughout the southern part of the square should very soon be gone, marking the return of a roundabout system just like before the competition. This is what the 16th District City Hall announced last night on X. A victory for Mayor Jérémy Redler, who advocated for the removal of horse-drawn traffic.

And it was at the end of a meeting on February 4 that the battle finally came to a close, during a discussion that brought together police prefect Jérémy Redler, Senator Francis Szpiner, representatives from Paris firefighters, RATP, Île-de-France Mobilité (IDFM), as well as neighborhood associations and national museums… Everyone agreed that this situation could no longer continue, putting the city between a rock and a hard place.

What was at stake? A significant traffic jam, leading to accidents waiting to happen, not to mention the honk-honking symphony. Lots of noise and crowds, making the whole area quite unsuitable for walking or enjoying a delightful little drink on a terrace. The forces of order...

;they also highlighted the much longer intervention times since this way of operating has been implemented.


A Step Before the Transformation of the Square ?

This decision is a real victory for drivers, but also a bit for cyclists who have been dealing with narrow lanes and a lack of parking spaces forcing vehicles to park on bike lanes, but unfortunately, the big losers in this story are the pedestrians. Especially the tourist pedestrians, who will lose access to one of the most beautiful views of the capital (according to them, of course). 

If Anne Hidalgo has scored a number of victories regarding the removal of cars in the City of Light, we can imagine that this defeat might still be hard for her to swallow. Luckily, the Town Hall of the 16th has already committed to "think in consultation with all concerned parties about a greening project, to secure cyclists and pedestrians in this historic place in Paris." Phew, that should help smooth things over with all the disappointed folks.