Tuesday, April 09, 2013

Kicking cars out of the city...


Things change... In the 70's, automobiles were very popular in France: the demand was strong, the French car industry was booming and the equipment rate was skyrocketing! This boom led to the need for more  roads... Problem: where do you build roads in a city like Paris that was built several hundred years ago when cars did not exist?! Well... One of the answers was... along the Seine! That's how the Voies sur berges (river bank throughway) were born. Nowadays things are different and cars are much less desirable ! That's why the Paris Mayor decided to... permanently close a stretch of more than two kilometers of the Voies sur berges from the Musée d'Orsay and the Pont de l'Alma, and turn them into gardens and passers by area.

8 comments:

  1. This does not even look like a photograph -- it looks like a painting, maybe Monet c. 1880. Wondrous. Luscious.

    Wait. Will I be able to stroll a garden path along the Seine? How long will I have to wait for this dream to come true?

    ReplyDelete
  2. A simply magnificent photo, the color of the water, the pop of red on the boat, the pop of gold on the bridge....and that gorgeous Paris sky. It does look more like a painting than a photo. Anne

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you a lot for sharing this with all folks you really
    understand what you're speaking approximately! Bookmarked. Kindly also visit my web site =). We can have a link change arrangement between us

    Look at my web page - http://rhizome.org

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love the colors in this photo and the way you've captured the sky and water are beautiful, painterly.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, that's just lovely. I love walking areas where I don't have to worry about cars for a little while.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Whilst it might be a great idea in theory, it's going a little too far. The Maire of Paris is not only reclaiming the road, he is constructing a hideous floating garden that will be docked permanently against an eyesore of vertical supports sticking out of the Seine. All this whilst there are many beautiful gardens in Paris where one has to 'keep off the grass'.

    ReplyDelete
  7. One word: fantastic! (for the mayor's decision and your photo)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'll see this soon. I think it will improve the walk from Musee d'Orsay to Chez Francis on Place de l'Alma to sit with a glass of wine and gaze at the Tour Eiffel.

    ReplyDelete