It is 8.30am on a weekday rush hour and the Voie Georges-Pompidou along the right bank of the Seine, normally one of the busiest highways in Paris, is eerily quiet. While this section of the Seine closes every summer to host the Paris Plages – in which temporary artificial beaches are created along the right bank of the river – this time the expressway has not been reopened. Photograph: Francois Guillot/AFP/Getty ImagesFew issues have so bitterly divided Parisians than the closure of Voie Georges-Pompidou. Chasseray said he was confident the Voie Georges Pompidou would be reopened “for the good of Paris and the banlieues”. In doing this, we are taking Paris into the 21st century.”Follow Guardian Cities on Twitter and Facebook to join the discussion

Source: The Guardian September 09, 2016 08:01 UTC