Lhe nightmare of young drivers often begins at Place de l’Etoile, in Paris. But the capital can also surprise motorists for another reason: there are no “stop” signs in the city. In 2016, an irreducible panel still resisted. Not far from Quai Saint-Exupéry, in the 16e district, the only “stop” in the entire city is located near the exit of a construction equipment company. The traffic sign is used to avoid accidents between local residents and construction vehicles.
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However, his notoriety as the only Parisian representative of his category aroused envy, and he became the repeated target of theft. After (too) many replacements by the municipality, the decision was finally made to make it disappear for good. This is how, in 2016, the city of Paris definitively bids farewell to “hitchhiking”.
Streamline traffic
When these red octagonal signs appeared in France in 1955, the capital was not spared. But over the years and the adaptation of signaling rules in Paris, they end up being gradually replaced by traffic lights, roundabouts and right-hand priorities.
The main reason ? Given the heavy traffic, it is a question of showing pragmatism, says the Paris prefecture. To improve traffic flow, priority on the right is the rule in the capital; this is the case for most roundabouts, such as that of Place de l’Etoile. And traffic lights are often favored to, according to the municipality, preserve the vigilance of motorists.
A word much more French than we think
And, by the way, why is the sign called “stop” and not “stop”? The international protocol on road signs, signed in Geneva in 1949, aimed to be as universal as possible. The language of Shakespeare therefore imposed itself.
But the word “stop” is much more French than you think. Certainly, it is of English origin, but has been used for more than two centuries in France. “Stop” is used as an interjection and requires it to be followed by an exclamation point, as a synonym for “Stop!” “. According to the Quebec media Metroin his novel Mount Oriol published in 1887, Guy de Maupassant already used the term. Difficult, even at the time, to say stop to Anglicisms!
