Half the surface area of the Place de la Concorde in Paris “Motorists will not be refunded after the Games” Olympics, announced in an interview with Mayor Anne Hidalgo La Tribune Sunday.
Six and a half months before the Summer Olympics, from July 26 to August 11, the socialist mayor makes it clear that the largest square in the capital “Will be offered to walk from the Tuileries to the Obelisk” At the end of the games. “Traffic is smooth by closing half the space”She believes, adding that the “The place given to the car in this symbolic place will be a mere parenthesis in history”.
“Place de la Concorde, Trocadero and ina (…)Along the Champ de Mars, fifty hectares create pedestrian and walking planting spaces »She recalls, and “Sixty Kilometers of Additional Cycle Paths” will be put in place “Compared to what we would have done without the Games”.
“Barrier” before “Unforgettable Party”
Place de la Concorde will host the so-called urban sports events of the Paris Olympics (BMX freestyle, breakdancing, skateboarding and three-man basketball) as well as the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games (August 28 – September 8).
The venue, with its degraded furniture and pavement – a frequent criticism addressed to the town hall – has hosted a fan zone of up to 10,000 people around its famous obelisk during the Rugby World Cup. Renovation of the square’s fountains is underway, scheduled for completion in August.
On infrastructure, a network of cycle paths, the reception of events at Olympic sites or even tourists, “I kept saying: we are ready”Annie underlines Hidalgo, repeating that there is “Other subjects, such as public transport, are still being worked on”.
For Parisians, “Of course, there will be hurdles in setting up the Olympic sites, for some of them from March-April.”, adds the city councillor. Also “The Games in Paris will be an unforgettable celebration”she assures.
