Snowy episode in Île-de-France: 400 km of traffic jams, chaos in airports and train stations

The snowstorm that hit France this Thursday caused accidents and slowdowns on the highways of Île-de-France. However, many drivers had anticipated these difficult conditions. Example in Vélizy where some had left work at 3 p.m. in the hope of avoiding traffic jams. “Now, I'm coming home a little earlier precisely to try to anticipate the return, which apparently isn't easy”fears a motorist in the video above. For her part, a two-wheeler driver is angry. “These roads are not plowed at all. I just fell there. My helmet is broken”she laments.

Once seated on the plane, we were told that the flight was canceled.

A passenger in Roissy

This Thursday evening, the roads of Île-de-France have up to 400 kilometers of traffic jams. In places, bus lines are completely at a standstill. While at Montparnasse station, some main lines are five hours late on arrival, due to falling trees on the lines. To the great dismay of users. “Train canceled so we are overloaded and we have no space”complains one of them.

The situation is even more difficult at Roissy airport. Snow grounded 1 out of 10 departure flights. Cancellations that are incomprehensible to many travelers. “I was coming back from Helsinki, so there was a lot of snow, but they were prepared. But here, it’s a bit complicated”quips a young man. A passenger had to disembark: “Once we were seated on the plane, we were told that the flight was canceled. So, we are waiting to know if we will be able to board another flight”she testifies. Air France will only offer compensation in the event of missed connections.

As for schools, as a precaution, some closed at 2 p.m. Suddenly, parents were taken by surprise. “I'm going to leave work a little early because we received emails from school and we have to go home to pick up the children”says a father.

The greatest vigilance is required

This evening, the instructions are clear in Île-de-France: avoid travel if it is not absolutely necessary, because the fear is obviously the appearance of ice in the coming hours and difficult, if not impossible, traffic. this Friday morning.

According to TF1 journalist Jeanne Quancard, the salt spreaders took action. “There are around a hundred deployed throughout Ile-de-France to prevent the snow from turning into ice, because you should know that negative temperatures could persist even if the weather conditions improve during the day of tomorrow in Ile-de-France”, she says in the video below.

“It is precisely for this reason that several departments in the region, such as Yvelines and Seine-et-Marne, have decided to suspend all their school transport for tomorrow. And more generally, road professionals are calling all Ile-de-France residents must be extremely vigilant when traveling.”she warns.