It's Paris' turn now - but you’re next LA
(5min read) Letter from Paris by Tim Gribaudi
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The kickoff of the Summer Olympics in Paris this week is of particular interest to CoMotion. Not only are several of us current or former Parisians, but the 2024 Games will shine a light on some of the most exciting transportation innovations in recent memory. This week our Paris-based Managing Director, Tim Gribaudi, will walk you through the mammoth efforts the region is making to accommodate 15 million visitors in what is already Europe’s densest urban center.
The 33rd Olympic Games
In just a few days, the Games will open in Paris with a unique opening ceremony: for the first time, it will not be held in a stadium or Olympic park but in the very heart of the city itself, on the River Seine. The Games, by far the world's biggest international event, will bring 10,500 athletes, 30,000 volunteers, 30,000 police officers, and an estimated 15 million spectators to Paris. The challenge for Ile-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), the Paris Region's transit authority, and the national transportation authorities is enormous. Every day of the Games, transit routes will be modified, as competitions across the region will divert bus routes, require new ones, and force station closures. Over the next two weeks, IDFM will be moving 500,000 spectators per day. For the Paralympics, there will be 300,000 spectators per day during one of the busiest periods of the year, the back-to-school period.
This will also be the beginning of the real countdown towards LA 2028. After the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games on September 8, the spotlight will shift immediately to Los Angeles. Despite very different density and transit systems, Paris offers LA a huge opportunity to see what works and what doesn't — and how to plan for the biggest global sporting event and build a lasting infrastructure legacy.
As CoMotion’s friends at LA 28 and Los Angeles Metro know, planning for the Olympics and Paralympics is a long process, and IDFM, the Region, and the City of Paris have been at work for years. Angelenos have had even more time. Back in 2017, the International Olympic Committee for the first time ever awarded both the 2024 and 2028 games. Many felt LA got the better deal, with more time to plan and with a bid that included no new sporting infrastructure. What is certain is that the Paris region has seen enormous investment in preparation for the Olympics, which will have a long-lasting legacy in terms of vastly improved transportation infrastructure. In just the last two months, two major Paris Metro lines have been extended, connecting 1 million people from less favoured suburbs to the heart of Paris. Most of the new infrastructure, such as the Olympic Village, has been built in the less prosperous Northern Parisian suburbs. The streets of the capital have been transformed in the past few years into a paradise of multimodality, as more bike lanes and pedestrianized streets have appeared everywhere.
An enormous transportation plan has been designed, with each sporting event having its own designated routes and alternatives in case of emergencies. In the last week alone, priority lanes have appeared throughout the capital and on the main highways for athletes, delegations, broadcasting services, taxis and emergency services. Spectators and residents are encouraged to use public transport and active mobility to move around the region and to venues. Mayor Anne Hidalgo also swam in the Seine, a waterway that is now being reassessed for its transportation potential.
A lesson for Los Angeles
LA take note: to ensure a smooth transit experience, IDFM has focused on user experience, wayfinding, and crowd management. Metro stations have new signs clearly indicating monuments and Olympic venues. A special app has also been created to push spectators to take alternative routes, easing the pressure on the transportation network. IDFM is asking wayfaring apps such as Google Maps and Citymapper to use routes it indicates. This crowd management and route diversification will be essential, as infrastructure usually built for one major game must now welcome competitions throughout the day. The Stade de France, the region's biggest stadium and home to France's national football and rugby teams will see people arriving and leaving simultaneously.
This is where France’s long history of ‘dirigisme’ — top down planning — is really paying off. Transportation plans have required the coordination of many public entities, from the central government to local cities all the way to the Prefecture, the state entity in charge of policing and security. This has often meant last-minute modifications of long-established routes for security reasons. One key lesson from Paris is to ensure all involved entities work well together and coordinate from the get-go.
The Games are also causing controversy. The biggest is the rise in metro ticket fares. All public transit was initially supposed to be free for the duration of the Games. Instead, the basic ticket fare has been hiked from €1.73 to €4 ($1.89 to $4.38) until September 8, for the duration of the Olympics and Paralympic Games. In the last few days, Parisians (including me) have been charging their passes or subscribing to monthly passes before the price went up. The fare increase will cover part of the enormous transportation investment needed for the Games, and is a way to push spectators to subscribe to multi-trip passes and therefore not create long lines in stations on competition days. Areas of Paris have been cordoned off for security concerns, and only those attending events or with a special QR code for Parisians will be given access, enraging some local businesses. These security areas have also meant that cycle lanes and curbs have been cordoned off forcing pedestrians and cyclists to confront the dense Parisian traffic. Another lesson from Paris: communicate effectively to residents and visitors about the transportation impacts of the Olympics.
Transit operators have also struggled to find qualified bus drivers and operators. Drivers have been asked to take their vacations before or after the Games; August is usually sacred in France, and transit services are reduced as cities empty out. These anticipated vacations have meant a reduction of services in many places across the region, with IDFM having to put pressure on transit operators to meet their obligations. Beyond transportation, there has also been huge pressure on accommodation, with hotels hiking their prices and thousands of Parisians attempting to rent out their flats at deliriously high prices. The accommodation bubble seems to have burst, as many hotels now have lower-than-average occupancy rates, with many tourists preferring to avoid the Olympic price inflation.
Yet despite all the difficulties, the crowds are descending on Paris and the excitement is palpable. Many Parisians are skeptics but the first passage of the Olympic flame last week did bring out crowds and smiles. And one advantage that LA will have on Paris is the sheer optimism of Angelenos and their clear love of the games. If plans are made right, then the Games will be a resounding success. But for now, the world's eyes turn on France and the challenge is enormous.
Paris is Europe's densest city, and despite all the preparations, its transportation network will be pushed to the limits. For us transit enthusiasts, it will be an incredible case study, and LA Metro, LA 28 and other Angeleno agencies will be in town to see how things go as they start preparing for LA 2028. At CoMotion, we look forward to sharing the transportation lessons of these Games — and I will be happy to welcome many of you to Paris to see the transportation legacy of these Olympics. In the meantime, let the games begin!
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CoMotion's mobility goodness brought to you by:
Tim Gribaudi,
Managing Director, CoMotion
contact@comotionglobal.com
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