The pavements are often narrow and cluttered. There's always either a badly parked bike, dustbins, or dog waste," says Virginie Dubost, a Parisian wheelchair user and disability consultant. Recently, when coming out of a museum, she got stuck. "The pavement was very high, and it was complicated to turn around," she tells me. This highlights the struggles that disabled individuals face in navigating the city's infrastructure, illustrating a persistent issue despite legal measures for accessibility.
Paris should be accessible: France has passed three accessibility laws in the last 49 years. But these laws have not been enforced. For Nicolas Mérille, National Advisor on Accessibility for AFP France Handicap, the French advocacy group for Disabled people, it is disheartening. "Some of our members cried when the implementation of the law was postponed another 10 years," he recalls. This reflects the ongoing frustration with the slow rollout of policies aimed at making Paris more inclusive.
Then, in 2017, Paris won the bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games - and with it came promises of universal accessibility. Coincidentally, the Games are taking place just weeks before the latest accessibility deadline: 'By September 26, 2024, all public establishments and transportation systems are required by law to be accessible to people with disabilities,' says Mr Mérille. This urgency underscores the city's commitment to improving accessibility in time for a major international event.
In an attempt to keep both its Olympic and legal promises, Paris fast-tracked accessibility measures. In three years, the Mayor's office has made city-wide improvements that would have otherwise taken 20 years. Parisian trams and buses are now wheelchair accessible, with vocal and visual stop announcements, and pedestrian crossings have vocal guides and tactile guiding strips. This transformation showcases effective governance when prompted by significant events.
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