“Five minutes journey, but 1h20 with snow”, difficult evening on the roads in Île-de-France

Storm Caetano continues to rage in Paris and its region this Friday, November 22. Heavy snowfall caused traffic difficulties. A look back at this first winter episode on the roads of the capital.

You may have had no choice but to take the car or transport, despite the one to seven centimeters of snow that fell on Île-de-France. Icy weather due to the passage of storm Caetano, over France.

It did not spare people who work or pass near Velizy 2. This Yvelines shopping center is located at the intersection of the N118 national road and the A86 motorway. Important roads in Île-de-France, known to cause difficulties for their users when it snows.

A sign of these serious difficulties: the authorities have decided to reduce the speed by 20km/h on all roads in the region. We tell you about this chaotic start to the evening, when returning from work.

Georges is the manager of a restaurant in the Vélizy 2 shopping center. His arrival at work was complicated this Thursday. “Basically, I left my home in Levallois at 10:30 a.m., arriving as usual at Velizy 2 for 11 a.m. I travel on my motorbike, then turn around because of the snow falling. I finally took the train from Clichy-Levallois to Viroflay-Rive Gauche, then the T6 tramway. All this took me 2h30, instead of 30 minutes“, relate-t-il.

A situation which becomes more difficult at the time of the interview, since this T6 tramway is interrupted between Châtillon-Montrouge and Général Leclerc. A traffic stop also due to snowfall. At the time, he is a little distraught and admits to not knowing what to do. Before resigning yourself: “I'll probably take a taxi or an Uber.“The problem is growing as the early evening approaches. The shops in the shopping center have had to close their doors earlier, just to allow employees to avoid traffic jams. However, this does not It wasn't enough.

On the ramp between the N118 and the A86, three employees are carpooling, heading towards Plessis-Robinson. A normally very quick journey, but which is very long today. “We normally have a five-minute journey, but here it's more like an hour or even 1h20“, explain Célia, Manon and their friend who takes them home.

The weather conditions slowed down traffic, to the point of causing a few accidents. Thomas* was on a motorbike, but he fell as he took this access ramp. The student was going to return to Clamart. “I was on the way from La Défense. The first part of the route was passable, then it became slippery at the junction“, he explains. The man was taken care of by the firefighters. Fortunately, more fear than harm since his condition still allowed his father to come and take him home.

A fear that still dominates among some motorists. “I come out of work and I'm a little scared. While driving, I felt a little ice crunching under my tires.“, remembers a motorist stuck in traffic jams on the A86. Earlier in the day, these fears were already in the minds of other users of these roads. “I have to deliver some packaging to a mushroom factory, but I'm not sure I'll make it. All I have to do is make one bad move and things can go haywire“, a truck driver was already worried.

Enough to redouble your vigilance, especially as the orange vigilance alert for snow and ice is maintained until 12 p.m. this Friday, November 22. The prefectures of the Île-de-France departments are still calling on motorists to exercise caution.

*The first name has been changed to preserve anonymity