FRANCE: GOVERNMENT ENLISTS HELP ON SEINE PLEASURE BOATS TO KEEP PARIS MOVING DURING METRO STRIKE.

Record ID: 647451

  • Title: FRANCE: GOVERNMENT ENLISTS HELP ON SEINE PLEASURE BOATS TO KEEP PARIS MOVING DURING METRO STRIKE.
  • Date: 9th October 1971
  • Summary: 1. GV Eiffel Tower TILT DOWN TO traffic 0.10 2. GV Traffic around Metro station (3 shots) 0.27 3. GV Parked motorcycles and cycles on pavement 0.30 4. GV Crowded pavements 0.40 5. SV People boarding water taxi 0.54 6. SV PAN Loaded boat 0.56 7. SV Queue of people waiting to board 1.00 8. GV Water taxi pulling away. 1.07 Initials BB/1230 SG/BOB/BB/1240 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 24th October 1971 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: PARIS, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Reuters ID: LVA30YEUCAXMA7K3M3WJYPI6UN0
  • Story Text: To help relieve the worst Paris traffic jams in years, the French Government has called into its service even River Seine pleasure boats. The action was taken on Friday (8 October) as the Metro strike continued into its fourth day. Two-thousand drivers are on strike in the underground train service over a salary dispute. The recruitment of the seven launches to help meet rush-hour crushes did little to relieve the growing congestion in the French capital. Although the bus system is still operating, the pavements of Paris have been filled with footsore commuters who had either abandoned their cars or given up hope of catching the overflowing buses.

    SYNOPSIS: Paris has been coping with some of the worst traffic jams it has seen in many years.

    The cause of the congestion is the continuing Metro strike. Over 2,000 drivers of the underground trains are striking against a new salary structure, and the effects of their actions are being felt by the thousands of Parisian commuters forced to take their cars into the city.

    Pavements have been filled with footsore commuters who had either abandoned their cars in the traffic or given up hope of catching the over-crowded buses.

    In order to help relieve the situation, the French government on Friday drafted River Seine pleasure boats into service in a losing fight to keep Paris on the move. Many Parisians took advantage of the seven launches during the rush-hour but even this did little to relieve the overall congestion. The continuing strike has forced business offices to shorten working hours and attendance has been reduced at Paris theatres and cinemas.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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