an update on the traffic restrictions that will apply in Paris

From this Monday, July 1st, certain traffic restrictions related to the Olympic Games will apply, including the partial or total closure of certain roads. From mid-July, the Olympic lanes will also be put into service, particularly on the Paris ring road.

A month of July which promises to be complicated for motorists. From this Monday, July 1, certain traffic restrictions linked to the organization of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will begin to apply.

A number of roads, particularly around the Seine where the opening ceremony will take place, will be partially or completely closed to traffic. This includes the Pont du Carrousel and the Trocadéro-Albert-de-Mun section.

Olympic routes active from mid-July

A situation that is already annoying motorists, 26 days before the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. “It’s catastrophic. There are roadworks everywhere, traffic is bad, it’s slow,” complains Sabrina, a driver, on BFMTV.

Especially since the restrictions will continue to evolve after that: from July 15 the 185 km will be activated of Olympic routes intended for the passage of athletes, their delegations, and various accredited vehicles, which are mainly located on the Paris ring road.

In practice, these routes will be effective from 6 a.m. this Monday and until September 15. Units resembling radars have been installed on the ring road to check that vehicles using these lanes are authorized: the unit scans the license plate, and analyzes whether the latter is associated with an accreditation to use the Olympic lane. Any vehicle driving on the Olympic route without authorization is liable to a fine of 135 euros.

But traffic restrictions don’t just apply to the Olympic lanes. In the very center of Paris, the Place de la Concorde is already inaccessible to cars, to allow the installation of infrastructure for the Olympic Games, as is the bottom of the quays of the Seine, in full preparation for the opening ceremony.

Cyclists are confused

Motorists are not the only ones affected by these traffic restrictions: cyclists also have difficulty navigating, with changed traffic directions and new signage.

“We received a bit of information, but there are still so many changes that it’s difficult to register them. There’s a lack of signage, lights, to understand it properly,” says one user, while another cyclist has a slightly more clear-cut opinion: “It’s a bit of a mess,” she says.

Users are invited to make arrangements to check their route before setting off: “Try to find out in advance, even if the situation can change overnight. But having one or more alternative routes already means you don’t have to look for directions urgently,” stresses Corentin Roudaut, spokesperson for the Paris en Selle association.

On the various axes concerned, the closures and diversions will then be gradual until July 26.