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PARIS

Why Paris is scrapping hundreds of signposts

Paris City Hall is reportedly set to tear down almost all of the city's 1,800 signposts to things like train stations and public squares, which it believes are ugly and present obstacles to pedestrians - although city's mayor says she knows nothing about it.

Published: 8 October 2021 16:39 CEST
A sign points the way to Gare de l'Est in Paris. City Hall has decided to tear down its old road signs.
A sign points the way to Gare de l'Est in Paris. City Hall has decided to tear down its old road signs. Photo: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP.

They’re such a common sight in Paris you might not have even noticed them, but you’re sure to notice once they’re gone. The city has decided to remove almost all of the 1,800 large signs, pointing towards tourist attractions, monuments, public squares, train stations and other landmarks, which help drivers and pedestrians to navigate around the capital, France Bleu has reported.

The signs were installed between 25 and 30 years ago, but soon only a handful will remain, including those which point towards hospitals and car parks.

For local authorities, the road signs have become obsolete in a world where most people get around thanks to a GPS, and they are now doing more harm than good by taking up space on the pavement.

“They obstruct the passage of wheelchairs, prams, and people,” Caroline Grandjean, Director of Roads and Travel at City Hall said as the first signs were taken down on Rue de Lyon in the 12th arrondissement, according to France Bleu.

“It corresponded to a need 20 or 30 years ago, but not today. They’ve become totally obsolete,” deputy mayor of Paris Emmanuel Grégoire said.

But the argument is also aesthetic.

The Green mayor of the 12th arrondissement, Emmanuelle Pierre-Marie, said removing the signs which “are impeding upon public space” was one step in “making our roads more attractive”.

The reaction from residents has been far from unanimous, but then neither has the reaction from within City Hall itself.

Speaking to France Bleu on Friday, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said she was “really not aware of the removal of these large masts”.

“If these masts are removed, it’s certainly in order to replace them, of course we need masts […] we need signs,” she said, adding that “if there are too many, it’s necessary to clean up the landscape.

“You clean up, but you don’t remove, because not everybody has a GPS.”

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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