Paris 2024 Olympics: access to the metro, a real obstacle course one year before the Paralympics

Staff will be trained “to support people with disabilities in the best conditions”. A plan for audio and visual accessibility must be announced in September with the RATP and SNCF. MAXPPP – Olivier Lejeune

A crucial issue for the Paris Games in 2024, the Ile-de-France transport system is being closely scrutinized in particular so that its poor accessibility can be improved, particularly in view of the Paralympic Games in a year.

Whether you have a weak knee, a stroller, or are disabled, the Paris metro is hell.

According to APF France Handicap, 350,000 disabled people are expected to attend the 2024 Summer Games.

According to figures from Ile-de-France Mobility (IDFM), which organizes transport in the region, 9% of the metro is currently accessible. This mainly concerns line 14 in reality, part of the extension of which must be completed at the last minute in June 2024, which will increase the rate to 14%.

32 metro stations “will be accessible in 2024”, as well as “28 RER stations”, said the vice-president of IDFM, Grégoire de Lasteyrie, during the meeting. #39;a press point organized by the organizing committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 268 SNCF and metro stations should ultimately be in IDF in 2024.

En direct de la conférence de presse JOP qui se tient ce lundi 28 août à 9h, MAGIQUE les pelouses sont revenues, en moins de 24h ! 😱

Réponse au choix :

1) La Ville de @Paris a fait repousser les pelouses en une nuit

2) Votre tweet est une énorme fake news https://t.co/FvQzPK66py pic.twitter.com/haP66usTBk

— Lamia El Aaraje (@lamiaela) August 28, 2023

Studies "demonstrate" that on the old metro lines – some are more than 100 years old – "if we tried to widen corridors or put in elevators, there are risks of collapses, impossibilities techniques which are strong,” he explained, also citing the fact that stations are classified as Historic Monuments.

In addition, "this is work that would take 7 to 10 years per line", with "an extremely high cost", added this regional elected official, to explain the very low accessibility of the Paris metro.

Staff will be trained "to support people with disabilities in the best conditions". A plan for audio and visual accessibility must be announced in September with the RATP and the SNCF.

🗣 Médiatisation des sports paralympiques ➡️ "Ce sera gagné pendant les Jeux, mais aujourd’hui, on n’en parle pas assez", regrette Michaël Jeremiasz. “C’était une volonté du comité d’organisation qu’on ait une équipe de France unie.” “À Londres, j’étais bluffé par l’engouement.” pic.twitter.com/AU52XbDtfO

— franceinfo (@franceinfo) August 28, 2023

Shuttles

"We will not be perfect for these Games, let's be clear (..) We know that it's impossible given our urban transport network", conceded Emmanuel Macron last March evoking in particular accessibility problems.

For spectators in wheelchairs, a shuttle system is provided to transport three to four people in wheelchairs and accompanying persons. They will leave from major Parisian stations. IDFM estimated that 4,000 people per day would be affected during the Olympic period (July 26-August 11) and 2,500 during the Paralympic Games.

In addition, the State has put in place financial aid to increase the Parisian fleet of accessible taxis from 200 to 1,000.

For their part, the approximately 4,400 Paralympic athletes will use "transformed buses" who will use the Olympic routes to reach the competition sites.

Parisian buses are accessible but Paris town hall has carried out work "this summer and until April 2024" so that the bus stops themselves are easily accessible (300 this summer and around a hundred by spring 2024), specified Lamia El Aaraje, deputy mayor of Paris, for an amount of 13 million ;#39;euros.

In the fall of 2022, the Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune, reported the "delay on accessibility objectives in transport and stations in particular& quot;.