Traffic Jam of the Week

While not exactly a bistro, the buvette in the Luxembourg is cozy all year around.

Bonus Exciting Sports News

Paris:- Sunday, 22. October 2000:- The award for this past week goes to Wednesday, when the angry employees of a bankrupt public works cooperative began a slowdown on the A1 autoroute near the level of Le Bourget.

This happened while the management was on its way to have talks at the Finance Ministry, concerning the bankruptcy, which was caused by slow payments to the co-op.

About 24 large and 70 little trucks were blocked by the CRS police at La Chapelle. This group of vehicles divided into four, and began escargot races in both directions of the Perifreak!

With the CRS interceding where it could, jams multiplied until they totalled 180 kilometres around 18:30 in the afternoon. An hour later, the co-op's management received an agreement for a meeting with the Finance Ministry, and the trucks reversed.

The CRS passed the good word to the trucks stuck on the interior of the Perifreak! at 19:30 and they freed its three lanes that they had been blocking for five hours.

By 21:00 the length of the traffic jams had dropped to 65 kilometres and at 22:30 the Paris region had returned to normal normal for a rainy Wednesday followed by a rainy Wednesday night.

Quite naturally, all other drivers were completely taken by surprise by the action, which some described as 'surrealistic' and others marvelled that even motorcycles couldn't get through.

In Paris itself, witnesses described blocked intersections as 'folklorique' or as 'Italienne.' Some drivers moved ahead at the rate of one metre every 15 minutes, while others attempted to gain the opposite roadsides to reverse their way out of bottlenecks.

Police later claimed that by the time they realized they had a 'situation' on their hands, it was too late. With one demonstration divided into three of four groups of trucks - any one of which could block an intersection.

Normally, authorizations for demonstrations are accorded by the police, except in cases where 'public order' might be jeopardized. However, because of its nature, the Perifreak! is never authorized as a route.

Last year, firemen from outside Paris gave the Perifreak! its first major paralytic test and their example was followed this year by angry truck drivers.

Instead of gathering at the Place de la Nation or Bastille and waving flags, groups of discontented workers find causing drivers to lose their cools much more effective.

Even the angry co-op workers were surprised by the extent on their action. They thought they would be directed to garages, but were instead blocked by the CRS.

To all readers who are confusing this week's report of the 'Traffic Jam of the Week' with last week's report of last week's 'Traffic Jam of the Week,' I assure you this week's was new and original and not a warmed-over repeat of last week's.

This award certainly goes to railroad workers who staged an 'authorized' march through Paris On Friday, with may have numbered 30,000 and an alphabet-soup of letters representing seven rail unions.

The train guys, from all over france, were protesting against Brussels' plans to liberalize rail traffic for both passengers and freight.

Protestors cited the latest train wreck in Britain as an example of what can happen when a country's railroads are not centrally organized. They say that rail safety cannot be assured by a bunch of independent and under-financed rail operators.

While railworkers had what they called a successful and colorful demonstration in Paris, it was hard for a rail user to understand what the fuss is about.

If Brussels' Eurodom says national rail networks have to allow competing operators, this can only happen if a national operator like France's SNCF wants to sell part of its network.

It could be that ambitious waterworks companies who are currently flying high in the portable telephone business might feel that operating railroads is a business with a bright business future - if they could credibly bid for the SNCF's TGV operations - but it is hard to understand why the SNCF would consider selling it.

The week's several other demonstrations were no less worthy, but were a lot less noticeable.

Today's totally unbiased report is from a Metropole reader, Café Metropole Club member, and rabid Mets fans from Queens who is unbiased:

'Sleepless in New York' reports:- "High spirits and high hopes abound as World Series fever grips NYC. World Series banners drape the street poles along Lexington Avenue. Floor mats with the team logos adorn the entrances to Grand Central Station - where you can catch the subway lines that travel north to Yankee Stadium or east to Shea Stadium - and admonish all who cross them to 'Pledge Your Allegiance.'

"'Yankees' and 'Mets' cookies are for sale at the bakery stand. Locals are wearing their chosen teams regalia and exchanging good natured ribbing.

"And now the first game of the '2000 Subway-Series' is over. The longest World Series game in recorded history at four hours and 51 minutes ended with the Mets falling to the Yankees, 4-3 in the bottom of the 12th inning.

"It was not a pretty game for either team.

"As the game ground on past 01:00 Sunday morning many yawning fans on both sides just wanted it to end before daybreak.The Mets shot themselves in their cleats with sloppy base running and poor relief pitching. For their part the Yankees squandered several scoring opportunities and left 15 men on base before ultimately prevailing.