HOW PARIS DOES IT

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 818, 12 November 1929, Page 6

HOW PARIS DOES IT

TRAFFIC REGULATIONS Traffic congestion is more serious ; and parking problems are probably 1 more complexing in Paris than in any | other city. The French temperament j does not respond to being ordered | arbitrarily, and the police authorities, knowing this, have introduced a set jof traffic regulations that aim to please everyone. I Contrary to the usual method or ; erecting a "No Parking” sign, the French feel that as both sides of a street have shops, it is unfair to favour one side by allowing parking | where it might detract from business I on the other side. To prevent favouritism, the curbstone privilege is made | reversible by an automatic system, j whereby on odd-numbered days parkI ing is permitted on the side of the i odd-numbered houses and on even- | numbered days, the parking is done j on the other side of the street. One phase of the changed practice | has been the standardisation of signal stations at intersections. At a rightangled crossing of two streets the Paris system provides a signal post at each of the four corners, set back in the footpath. A policeman, stationed at one of the posts, controls the lights on, all of them. Following a short interval of traffic flow in one direction and before releasing it in the other, the officer sounds a loud gong, and sets the four signals at “stop,” indicated by a red light illuminating the word “Halte.” This brings traffic to stop simultaneously at all four corners, and pedestrians are given ample opportunity to cross. On some thoroughfares the peclesj triau is the real ruler of traffic. A notable example of this is Avenue des Champs Elysee. From Place de la Concorde to Arc de Triomphe, this avenue presents a broad sweep of traffic channels, which are busy throughout the 24 hours of the day, but which lack the congestion of other important boulevards. Its wide driving space is very tempting to the motor- | ist who is trying to make good time, ! and the police meet this situation by j allowing free flow of traffic along the I avenue, subject to no control other than that provided by the pedestrian, j whose sole responsibility is to be sure | that he crosses the street at one of the safety zones. Each zone is marked by special white lines and designated by special signs on both sides of the street. When the pedestrian is crossing the street between the white lines, the burden of safety is on the