Right Bank to pedestrianize
 

I guess Paris Plage is a thing of the past.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/4361782714

Well, they'd better get a move on, then...
I walk my dog here every day, and though the City spruced up the lighting and sidewalks two years ago and planted some grass, the only other things that exist are a restaurant that nobody seems to visit and a few neolithic benches.

Nothing of this magnitude happens overnight - though it's always announced with great fanfare well before anything gets underway.

Even though everyone is complaining about how much it costs to haul out all that sand for the tourists - and the fact that the businesses involved lose a ton of money - it's probable that Paris Plage will take place this year. Nobody is taking bets on the future, though.

You cannot be saying that those tourists who are attracted to all that sand aren't spending money somewhere in the city.

Paris Plages will take place this year, but the expressway will not reopen after the event.

Meanwhile, Paris has been fighting to obtain total sovereignty over the roadways of the city, but the national government doesn't want to let go of certain streets, and most particularly neither the Left Bank or the Right Bank expressways, which is why <i>Les Berges</i> is still just stuff placed on highway pavement rather than being turned into a real park. The national government claims the need to be able to reverse the leisure projects at any time if required for national defense. ("Let's get those tanks revved up!") The same goes for the Voie Georges Pompidou. As much as the mayor would like to rip up the pavement permanently, her hands are tied.

The tourists who go to Paris Plages don't spend a lot of money there. The pickings are pretty slim and prices are not cheap - many people bring their own food and drink or go elsewhere after getting a little sun. The toilettes are always really popular, though.

Also - there was a big deal about the possibility of flooding when Les Berges was instituted. Everything must be able to be moved to higher ground at a moment's notice until the water recedes. When we had a lot of rain last year or the year before, Les Berges was a ghost town. The same thing will apply on the Right Bank.

Personally, I can't believe tourists will be looking forward to marching on foot all over town just because the Mayor thinks it will make everyone healthier...
http://www.paris.fr/actualites/paris...es-places-3413