Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
into their beautiful new Mercedes and Peugeots, can stop on
a dime, roar to 100 kmph (62 mph) in seconds, and judge
the perimeter of their vehicle to less than a centimetre.
Buckle your seatbelt. Consider yourself on a carnival ride
and be grateful it's some other poor soul out there, and not
you, trying to cross the street. You'll be among the hapless
pedestrians soon enough.
Taxis are expensive in Paris. There are extra charges
for time and mileage, which are indicated on the meter,
a surcharge for bags put in the boot or trunk, for waiting
and for evening services. Charges go up to the maximum
just as the
Métro
stops at midnight. The tip expected is
5 per cent of the fare, 10 per cent if you called for the taxi.
But you have at the wheel a
raconteur
, as well as a driver.
Don't be afraid to engage in serious political discussion
as the fellow negotiates seemingly impossible feats of
trafi c ballet.
PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION
When you are walking around Paris (the very best way to
enjoy it), keep alert. You not have only have those daredevil
taxi drivers and irritating scooters to worry about, you have
a new breed of cyclists and hundreds of miles of bicycle
lanes. Having established their right to a piece of the
pavement, cyclists don't give it up easily. Watch carefully at
the crosswalks, and between the sidewalk and the parked
cars, where bike lanes often are. Obey the pedestrian crossing
signs and don't jaywalk.
If you really want to try your hand at driving, you are
welcome, but don't start with Paris. You will be allowed to
drive with your home country driving licence for the i rst
year, but you must be 18 years of older. Purchase insurance,
whether you own or rent.
Top speed, ofi cially, in Paris is 50 kmph (31 mph), 90
kmph (55.8 mph) on other roads and 130 kmph (80.6 mph)
on the autoroutes. At intersections of equally important
streets, not otherwise marked, the vehicle on the right
ALWAYS has the right of way, except in a circle like the
Arc de Triomphe, where the vehicles already circling take
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