Paris is providing an unrivaled backdrop for an event the size of the Olympic Games. The perfect image already exists, and promotional videos for Paris 2024 include horses running past the fountains of an empty Versailles, breakdancing on the unusually litter-free Place de la Concorde, and cyclists whizzing around the Arc de Triomphe. cars often stop in smoke-filled traffic jams. But behind this idyllic portrayal, problem after problem rears its ugly head.
Let’s scratch the big itch first – bedbugs. In the autumn of 2023, Paris and France in general seemed to be shaken by a real mite epidemic. Freezers used to disinfect items have become popular items on second-hand website Leboncoin. Locals have started wrapping train seats in garbage bags to avoid hosting the tiny blood-sucking insects, and it looks like the bedbug crisis in Paris is still out of control.
At about the same time, the city’s garbage collectors went on strike, leaving piles of garbage on the streets of Paris for weeks. Despite all this unsanitary nature, it is perhaps not surprising that Paris’ rat problem has become a trending topic on TikTok and has gone viral. The city’s rat population was estimated at four million as recently as 2020.
France is a country where a good protest flows through the veins of its people much stronger than the love of fine wine and cheese, but lately they seem to have outdone themselves. SNCF (France’s national railway system) workers were on strike for two out of four weekends in February, but farmers, who dominate the news, are protesting the long list of rules and regulations they must abide by – everything from right way to wrong way. Fence an area to the minimum chicken cage width. What began as a peaceful protest upending road signs across the country in late 2023 quickly turned into a blockade of major cities, including Paris, with hay bales and tractors, making movement impossible.
We also saw climate protests in January, where a group called Riposte Alimentaire (Food Response) threw soup on the Mona Lisa. Coincidentally, the Louvre, where the painting is exhibited, increased the entrance fee by 5 euros this year; The first increase in seven years was undoubtedly strategically planned to profit from the influx of tourists.
Earlier this month, even France’s most famous symbol was on strike. Workers at the Eiffel Tower, unhappy with the way the building was being managed, walked out in the middle of school holidays, leaving the tower closed for six days. So has all this chaos left Parisians complacent about hosting the Games, and will this spoil the experience for the 15 million visitors expected in the city during the event?
The hot topic for many residents is how the Olympics will worsen the existing housing crisis. Business studies student Johanna Guibert said: “Many of my friends are being evicted from their homes in June so their landlords can rent them at high prices during the Olympics. If I didn’t know my landlord personally, I might be in the same boat.”
Paris already has one of the highest costs of living in the country; renting a one-bedroom costs an average of €1,362 (£1,166) per month. During the Games, evacuees may find it impossible to find a place within their budget, as an increasing number of homeowners list their properties on platforms such as Airbnb.
The homelessness crisis is also growing, with 44 percent of France’s homeless people located in Paris; That’s not the kind of image the city wants to project when the eyes of the world are watching. Change Please trains homeless Parisians to equip them with barista skills and help them get back on their feet. “Unfortunately, the plan seems to be to just move people around during the Olympics,” says Xavier de Parseval, one of the founders of the Paris branch. “Based on what we’ve heard and read, I don’t believe they will be found to stay; they will just be moved to parts of the city that are less visible to tourists.”
The French government has advised Parisians to limit their travel and work from home whenever possible during the Olympics to minimize putting too much pressure on the transport system. As a result, many businesses have chosen to take annual leave during the event, but in some sectors this is not possible.
In many parts of Paris, construction is completely banned from mid-June to mid-September unless proven to be an emergency. “It remains to be seen whether we will be able to continue working on construction projects during the Olympics,” says architect Morgane Allard. “It was initially reported that scaffolding would be banned during the Olympics and Paralympics as it was an eyesore, but erecting and dismantling scaffolding or shutting down a construction project is expensive.”
But the biggest concern for many Parisians is how the city’s already weak transportation system will cope. Ticket prices are expected to double during the games and metro lines 6, 8 and 14 are all closed for upgrades during the February school holidays, causing great distress to families.
“Traveling in Paris this year has been really complicated,” says consultant Thibault Barbou. “Everything is under construction. It is impossible to update all the outdated lines and there are currently not enough train drivers. I can already imagine scenes during the Olympics when trains were stopped because someone left their bag in the carriage.
Léo Leclerc, who works in the insurance industry, adds: “Metro lines are already saturated and the transport system is falling into disrepair. I cycle to work, but not everyone can do this. Take, for example, people with physical disabilities. Although it is not possible to install elevators everywhere, some metro stations are refused to install elevators “So what’s the alternative? A bus that only runs every 20 minutes?”
There is no doubt that the Olympics will look spectacular on television; Beach volleyball under the Eiffel Tower is a breathtaking scene Emily in Paris out of water. So what will it be like on the field? Last year, five consecutive days of rioting and looting shook the capital after the police killed an unarmed 17-year-old teenager. Will it all come to a head when Paris takes center stage, despite the discontent of farmers, transport workers and climate protesters?
It is clear that efforts are being made to quickly clean up Paris’s image. Fearing damage to their reputation if visitors’ permanent Olympic souvenirs become infested with bedbugs, hotels have hired search dogs to detect them, but this is a costly affair at around €30 per hotel room. Concerns grow over the proliferation of crack cocaine trade in 19th-century Paris area It led to police chief Laurent Nuñez going on television to reassure the public that everything would be resolved before the Olympics. But with just over four months to go, the Games risk doing more harm than good to Paris’ reputation.
The French government has produced a guide that includes an interactive map to help Parisians and visitors alike plan their travels during the Games. It includes live updates on subway line closures, road closures and traffic conditions and can be found at: anticiperlesjeux.gouv.fr