Traffic in Paris during Olympics: “Big problems will start on July 1,” warns police prefect

He returned to his biggest challenge yet: ensuring security during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The prefect of police, Laurent Núñez, wanted to defend the introduction of the device for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, which was unveiled on Tuesday by Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. .

Asked this Wednesday morning on Franceinfo about the number of people able to attend the ceremony on the Seine on July 26, the prefect assured that he “has not revised downwards (our) ambitions”. “The figures fluctuated at one point (1 million spectators, then 600,000 and finally 326,000, including 222,000 free, editor’s note). But we don’t want to exceed three people per m². We don’t want people to be able to walk along the scene, That’s why there will be boxes. The figure is not far from final, but it could still go down by a few thousand because we are still waiting for some information from the organizer, especially on the stability of the platform.

However, for Laurent Núñez, “we will be on the very popular side”. To protect the Seine and the boats, the prefect promised that “everything will be cleared of mines and checked (for boats) 15 days in advance, the profiles of the drivers will be carefully checked. There will be a few days when we will not be able to sail on the Seine,” He remembers.

Five bridges to cross the Seine

We will also see traffic jams on the ground during the setup and preparation for the Olympics and opening ceremonies. “For the installation of the ceremony, several Parisian bridges will be used by Cojo to provide stands and technical installations. Big trouble will start from July 1,” he warned.

While he recognizes that “a certain number of Parisian bridges will be cut off for traffic”, Laurent Núñez assures that the Ministry of the Interior “wants to maintain five crossing accesses (in the center of Paris) until a few hours before the ceremony.

Tourists who have reserved accommodation within the event’s security perimeter, like residents and local residents, “will be obliged to register on the platform to access the apartments they have been able to rent,” he said.

Finally, when asked about thefts of computer equipment that have occurred in recent days and may contain information from Olympic sports organizations, he sought reassurance. “This was not the plan to secure the Olympics. This is a traffic plan for city agents but this does not call into question the safety of the Olympic Games. Security plans are what they have and no one walks with them,” he concluded, while recalling that “transportation security during the game will be multiplied by five.” .