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In Paris, the war has been declared against summer terraces

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The Editor

© Hugo Dominguez / Le Bonbon

A few months ago, Parisians joyfully learned about the reopening of summer terraces. However, while many saw this news as a hint of happy moments ahead, for others, it felt like a sentence, especially intensified at the beginning of the month following the announcement of extended hours.

Since April 1st, our beloved temporary terraces have once again set up shop on our sidewalks, parking spaces, squares, and other pedestrian streets... Usually, these spots are required to close by 10 PM, but this year, they can be extended for an extra hour between June 21st and September 14th. This news is certainly not making some residents very happy, as they've decided to take action in response to the disrupted everyday life.


Residents Playing Spoilsport

Just two weeks ago, the Paris city hall, led by Nicolas Bonnet-Oulaldj, the deputy in charge of commerce, announced some fantastic news for all fans of happy hours.

Summer: the opening of temporary terraces extended until 11 PM. This decision comes after reports from many restaurant owners lamenting significant financial difficulties in the first half of the year.

What if the elected official clarified that this measure was taken after extensive consultations with the main stakeholders, yet some felt terribly wronged and abandoned: the local residents. So much so that over 40 different associations came together to express their dissatisfaction. In a joint statement published on Monday, June 16, they denounce the « lies » of the city, showing not only that the restaurant sector isn’t doing so badly, but also that, according to some surveys, Parisians are not necessarily interested in these late-night hours.

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To support their point, they notably cite figures from a recent Ifop study, which specifies that only 3% of people who go out to terraces in the evening do so "after dinner ". However, it's important to remind these various associations that just because people don't settle in after 9 PM, it doesn't mean they aren't happy to enjoy an extra hour nonetheless.


A debate that is likely to make some noise

In response to these arguments, the City has tried to defend itself as best as it can, highlighting for example that terraces are part of the capital's DNA, and that there aren't actually that many summer terraces, since according to statistics, on average, only one in four requests is approved. As for the question of involvement, the city is...It's important to mention that local residents were consulted during the study of the project.

No matter what, more than just the aesthetics, lots of Parisians also oppose these temporary spaces because of the noise disturbances and the overruns they can unfortunately cause. Indeed, it's been several years that some local residents have been fighting against the noise, its impact on their sleep, and the effects on their health. In light of this situation, the City of Paris has assured that "their involvement will be strengthened in the local noise committees." The battle has just begun for the approximately 150,000 affected Parisians who, we hope, have already equipped themselves with quality earplugs.