Parisian Sidewalks Just Got A Little Less Hazardous

Walking the sidewalks of Paris is the very best way to see and feel the energy of the city, yet it can be hazardous.

Dodging people, sidestepping the pigeons and not sliding on wet gooey leaves are already enough.

At least there will be one less thing to watch out for though.

No, I am not talking about the pickpockets. No such luck and besides they are a plague everywhere.

I am not even talking about dog poop, that use to be a problem, but that is a rarity these days, thanks to heavy fines and well-behaving dog owners.

I am referring to other hazards recently bombarding Parisians sidewalks weaving amongst us two-legged pedestrians.

The city of Paris just voted to prohibit one of those dastardly projectiles on wheels.

Electric scooters that whizz in and around people are now outlawed on Parisian sidewalks. Yea!

Sometimes, I  wonder if legs are eventually going to atrophy into flimsy appendages rarely used.  Obsolete, not needed except for minimal propping up our torso on some other vehicular device.

As I walk around the city these days, I have noticed an increased amount of motorized vehicles that speed people along the sidewalks.

Flying by me at terrifying speeds are trottinettes, electric scooters, Segways, electric monowheels, bicycles, and hoverboards.

It is against the law for bicyclists to ride on the sidewalks, except for children  8 years and younger.

Yet, they are often riding along nonchalantly!  I have even seen motorcycles being ridden on sidewalks too! Yikes!

I prefer instead the thrill of my two legs to propel myself around the sidewalks by old-fashioned walking!

It is already hard enough to dodge people buried in their telephone screens, who barely look up until they are almost in your face.

The rest of us have to be very vigilant and play mostly dodgeball or risk having a run in.

Walking has been for me a great blessing living in the city.  Not only is it fun and the best way to see things, but the rewards of using our God given muscles has numerous benefits!

I am by no means anti cars, bus or transport for long distances, but having to walk to get my groceries, shop and just get around, in general, is a great exercise all by itself.

Sidewalks are for walking.  They are not meant to be runways for whizzing wheeled humans!

Darting children, dogs and the rest of us intently walking around are in danger of being run over by one of these inventions.

I think of the brave handicapped who walk with canes, crutches, wheelchairs, walkers and the blind who navigate by passing their white poles left to right to avoid obstacles.

Crossing streets here is chancy too, even if you only cross when the little green man lights up, as many bicyclists don’t stop at crossings, nor yield to crossing pedestrians.

Approaching the tram lines you have to be quite vigilant too. If you don’t look up and see the flashing red lights you risk some really close encounters!

Since the electric scooters will now be directed to ride in the streets, we will have to look out for them too.

I already feel sorry for the bus drivers of Paris who have to have nerves of steel and the patience of Job.

They are often blocked in traffic or slowed down in the designated bus lanes by bicyclists and almost swiped by cars who regularly cut into their path.

I am amazed to witness them navigating the narrow streets, where they have to squeeze by with only a few inches of margin.

Now in addition to the weaving cars, motorcycles, and bicyclists, they will have the electric scooters fanatics to tend with.

Rollerblades use to pose a problem too around 15 years ago,  even rattling down the stairs in the metro, but I see them much less nowadays.

Paris very successfully inaugurated rollerblading escapades led by police controls through city streets on Sundays, that took care of the majority of rollerbladers enthusiasts.

This photo is one of hundreds of motorcycles on the avenue in front of my place for some odd reason.

It only took a little over a year to condemn the electric scooters after an explosion of accidents, with some pedestrians killed.

Paris does not have as many bicycle lanes as Amsterdam, the reigning capital of bicycles, but they are increasing them.

They cause problems too for pedestrians as you have to be very observant in both directions before attempting to cross.

Some bicyclists ride the lane at top speeds like they were competing in the Tour de France!

But given all of the above complaints, I would rather have those electrical motorized versions of transport, over polluting cars that jam Parisian streets every day.

On that note, I was happy to hear that the pedestrianization of the banks of the Seine that has been challenged in the courts, will remain in place!

With all of the public transport available in Paris, you don’t need a car to get around, nor any motorized vehicular engines either.

Legs and feet are just perfectly designed for walking unless you are handicapped and very elderly.

Muscles not used on a regular basis are going to atrophy and weaken, so you either use them or lose capacity.

Walking instead of riding anything is medicine of the best kind, not only physically, but mentally too.

Walking outside is a perfect therapeutic adjunctive to helping depressed patients.  It does not matter what the weather is either, in fact walking in the rain seems to give an extra boost.

If you get tired of people watching, there are other activities to catch your interests on Parisian sidewalks.

There is always sidewalk repairs going on and renewing all of those thousands of underground pipes going everywhere.

I enjoy looking at the workers digging up layers of old Paris or using powerful vacuums to suck up the dirt around fragile wiring or piping.

Now if only the gendarmes(police) will start catching and giving fines to men who still pee or spit on the street!