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PROTESTS

Taxi drivers block French roads and airport access in protest over fares

Taxi drivers are staging a series of blockades on Monday, including in Toulouse, Bordeaux and the outskirts of Paris, in protest over changes to the fare structure.

Published: 4 March 2024 09:24 CET
Taxi drivers block French roads and airport access in protest over fares
A French taxi driver unionist (L) walks past taxis lined up before the start of a protest "snail operation" called by the four federations of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, against transport tariffs set by health insurance company, in Bordeaux, south-western France, on January 29, 2024. - Taxis are blocking several major roads across France to demand a renegotiation of the remuneration conditions for patient transport, while the National Health Insurance Fund (Cnam) offered an agreement that was deemed unfavourable by the trade unions, who demanded the status quo. (Photo by Philippe LOPEZ / AFP)

Monday will see a series of blockades and rolling roadblocks, with taxi drivers in Toulouse and Bordeaux targeting access to airports, while those in and around Paris will be aiming to cause disruption on the périphérique (ringroad).

By 9.30am on Monday, 400km of traffic jams had reported in the greater Paris region, with disruption centred on the A13 and the ringroad.

In Toulouse, taxi unions say they intend to bring road access to Toulouse-Blagnac airport “to a standstill”, as well as access onto the Toulouse ringroad from adjacent motorways.

In Bordeaux taxi drivers intend to meet at 10am and form two convoys – one heading into the city centre and the other heading to Bordeaux-Mérignac airport. They intend to remain overnight and continue blockades into Tuesday.

Taxi drivers from Marseille and the surrounding areas intend to form up a convoy and create a rolling roadblock heading to Nîmes, while Brittany will also see protests centred on Rennes on Monday morning, as will the city of Lyon.

The drivers are protesting over changes to the fare structure for patient transport services.

In France, patients can obtain a prescription for transport by taxi to medical appointments, the cost of which is reimbursed by the government through the CPAM health service.

Fees for patient transport trips are set by the government and taxi drivers say the new fares do not take into account the rate of inflation and will lead to them making a loss on some patient transfer journeys.

READ ALSO How to get free transport to medical appointments

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FRANCE WEATHER

Thunderstorms, floods and traffic: France’s last holiday weekend in May 

The final holiday weekend of May in France is set to be marked by bad weather and difficult driving conditions on busy roads.

Published: 17 May 2024 15:44 CEST
Thunderstorms, floods and traffic: France’s last holiday weekend in May 

Monday, May 20th is a holiday for most of France, marking the Christian festival of Pentecost, which means that many people will enjoy a three-day weekend.

This is the last of four public holidays in France in May 2024, now we need to wait until August for another extra day off work (since the Fête National on July 14th falls on a Sunday this year).

So what can we expect for the long weekend? Well, bad weather and heavy traffic, unfortunately.

The Moselle département, in north-east France, was placed on red weather alert on Friday after hours of heavy rain caused flash flooding.

The red weather alert initially runs until 9pm on Friday, with between 80mm and 100mm of rain expected, while between 70mm and 90mm are predicted in the far north of the neighbouring Bas-Rhin, with up to 70mm expected further south – figures national forecaster Météo-France said approached records for daily rainfall figures in the region.

Orange alerts in the area remain in place on Saturday.

Image: Météo-France

Rain and occasional storms, some bringing hail, are expected to develop across large parts of the country throughout the weekend, with only the Mediterranean areas likely to remain dry on Saturday.

Showers and sunny spells will continue into Sunday and Monday, with occasional thunderstorms in the south-west. Temperatures throughout the weekend should rise to between 15C and 22C.

To make family getaways on the final long weekend of the month even more difficult, roads watchdog Bison Futé predicts ‘difficult’, or ‘very difficult’ travel conditions on key routes across the country. 

Image: Bison Fute

On Friday, traffic is expected to be heavy on routes heading away from major cities towards popular holiday destinations until well into the evening – especially on Paris’s Périphérique and the A86 and A6B, the A7, along the Mediterranean Arc and on the Atlantic seaboard (A11, N165 and A63). 

The A13 is likely to remain closed to traffic between Paris and Vaucresson across the holiday weekend, so drivers from the Paris region wishing to reach Normandy are advised to take the A14, A15 or N12

On Saturday, May 18th, conditions on the roads will be difficult nationwide, particularly on roads serving the Mediterranean arc (A7 and A9) and the Atlantic coast (A63 and N165). In the Île-de-France region, traffic will be heavy from early morning onwards on the A6 and A10. From mid-morning onwards, traffic is expected to intensify significantly. 

Image: Bison Fute

Routes converging on the A10 and A6 could also see traffic problems on Saturday, Bison Futé warned.

No major forecastable traffic problems are expected on Sunday – but, on Monday, May 20th, short breakers will be returning home, leading to heavy traffic across the country, notably on A7 and A9, in the Mediterranean region, and routes serving the west of the country.

Traffic will be heavy on the A10 and A6 in the Île-de-France region from late morning into the evening. The A13, which should be open, could also experience traffic problems from mid-afternoon onwards, and could continue to do so well into the evening.

Across the country banks and public administration offices will close. Some independent shops may close, while larger stores and chains are more likely to be open, but probably with altered opening hours.

Most bars, restaurants and cafés will remain open while public transport will run as normal. 

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