The opening of swimming in the Seine is disrupting the river's economy: this summer, cruise and freight barges will no longer be able to pass in front of Notre-Dame, a swimming spot, on Sundays and weekday mornings.
The Marie arm – a channel located between the right bank and the Île Saint-Louis – normally accounts for 40% of Paris's river traffic, with up to 300 bateau-mouches passing by per day, or one boat every two minutes. On this iconic waterway, cruise lines usually offer tourists the classic: the trip up to Notre-Dame. A highly anticipated tour that will be somewhat curtailed this summer. (…)
Every weekday morning, from 7:30 a.m. to noon, and all day on Sunday, traffic will be completely interrupted, forcing cruise ships to take other routes which will not go beyond the Pont-Neuf. (…)
The director of the Bateaux-Mouches: "We're definitely expecting customer dissatisfaction. Just go there: the only question people ask before boarding is 'are we going to see Notre-Dame?'" (...)
The reorganization also affects freight. In July and August, the Seine sees massive volumes of grain flow to the Channel ports, as well as construction materials, waste, and cement. "The first harvest is in July. It's a peak of activity for urban logistics," recalls Olivier Jamey, president of the Paris Port Community (CPP). On Sunday—the day the Marie branch will be completely closed—freight traffic will be partially hampered, since only carriers going down the river will be able to pass between Île Saint-Louis and Île de la Cité. (…)
Fdesouche
