Paris Peripherique during Morning Rush Hour

[JQL]

Not too shabby for a sixty five year old on an NT700!
Paris Peripherique during Morning Rush Hour

 

[RedLdr1]

You have convinced me to never try driving, much less riding, in Paris...

 

[Chucksklrst]

What a mess. If I had to drive in that every day I would just stay home. Of course, here in Colorado, lane splitting /filtering is illegal. Wish the State would wise up and allow lane splinting. . But then again the United States / Colorado is not really motorcycle friendly. They think all two wheelers are bicycles. Don't even get me started on the bicycles and how they abide by the rules of the road, of which it seems there is none.

 

[ST1100Y]

Been there, did that (on the ST)... would have blibbed my 3 (blaring) horns a little more generously though... (AKA: Latte-Launch )

 

[JQL]

Been there, did that (on the ST)... would have blibbed my 3 (blaring) horns a little more generously though... (AKA: Latte-Launch )

Being British, I'm a little too polite . I flash my headlight quite a lot but that wasn't really picked up in the video. I also tend to rev a little (not a full rev-bomb) so they know I'm there and just beep the idiots.

The horns are twin-tone 130 dB units plus the OEM horn so tend to be noticeable...

 

[ST1100Y]

Being British, I'm a little too polite .

I flash my headlight quite a lot but that wasn't really picked up in the video.

Still amazing how well ze french motorists pull aside to give a filtering lane; wouldn't happen where I live...

The horns are twin-tone 130 dB units plus the OEM horn so tend to be noticeable...

Ditto...
best "stunt" was a Karen with a cell glued to her ear hence almost running me over, hectically waving me to "quiet it down" over my horns blaring...
those FIAM two-tones seem to resonate well in a vehicle interior...

 

[seagrass]

You are a better man than I am.

Here in Australia we can now do the same if the traffic is going less than 30Km/h and motorcycle riders are also not allowed to travel more than 30Km/h.

I have never had the guts to try it in moving traffic, but then again in Australia, drivers do not leave a nice gap between the lanes so a motorcycle can slip through.

Seagrass

 

[JQL]

Still amazing how well ze french motorists pull aside to give a filtering lane; wouldn't happen where I live...

The law in France is you have to leave room for "Motos" on the white line of the outside lane in the areas where "Inter-files", Lane Splitting/Filtering, is permitted. Most in the major cities know this law. Those from elsewhere don't because the law is new and only an experiment for the next 3 years (though the Parisiennes have been doing it since motos were invented).

Max speed while Filtering is 50 km with a speed differential of no more than 30 km. The full details are here (in French - Google Translate is your friend): inter-files

I tend to keep to the spirit of the law though there are those who disregard it totally which is counter productive.

 

[Phil Tarman]

I rode through Paris once on a borrowed Kawasaki GTR (the Euro name for a Concours). I survived, but it got crazy! I'm not sure I'd ever get used to that kind of traffic. But it was obvious to me that people on scooters felt totally indestructible.

I noticed that most of the motorcycles had either 4-way flashers or a left-turn signal blinking on the Perephirique. I'm guessing that European NTs don't have flashers. I was impressed by the lane discipline the French drivers showed and noticed that one van that was driving on the white line and wondered if he got all the way back into his lane after you waved and pointed.

You're a braver man than I am. I have tried to filter in California, but ended up deciding just to ride in the left lane.

 

[ST1100Y]

The law in France is you have to leave room for "Motos" on the white line of the outside lane in the areas where "Inter-files", Lane Splitting/Filtering, is permitted.

Here they're obliged to make an "EMT corridor" upon traffic starting to seize... doesn't really work, and motos are not permitted to use that either (which gets increasingly ignored though )

 

[ST1100Y]

I'm guessing that European NTs don't have flashers.

They have... and the hazards even stay on with key removed (4x 21 Watts draining the battery in no time)...

I was impressed by the lane discipline the French drivers showed...

Result of years of training and retaliation... french moto riders react quite militant toward ignorant egocentrics, kicking doors, ripping mirrors and wiper arms off...

 

[JQL]

I rode through Paris once on a borrowed Kawasaki GTR (the Euro name for a Concours). I survived, but it got crazy! I'm not sure I'd ever get used to that kind of traffic. But it was obvious to me that people on scooters felt totally indestructible.

I noticed that most of the motorcycles had either 4-way flashers or a left-turn signal blinking on the Perephirique. I'm guessing that European NTs don't have flashers. I was impressed by the lane discipline the French drivers showed and noticed that one van that was driving on the white line and wondered if he got all the way back into his lane after you waved and pointed.

You're a braver man than I am. I have tried to filter in California, but ended up deciding just to ride in the left lane.

Phil,

The Deauville (NT700) has the Hazard Warning Lights ("Hazards") as standard in Europe. The switch is where the Headlight switch normally is (headlight is always on dipped beam with the ignition). It's been standard on all new bikes in Europe for about 15 or so years. I don't usually use them as I have LED spots which are much more effective.

The van did get back in his lane. Although I don't dress like one, I have a similar, but slower, riding style to the police (having had lessons from them many, many years ago). So, they think I'm "plain clothes" and react accordingly. Yes, we have plain clothes motorcycle police in France mainly to catch speeding bikers.

The Concours (GTR) is a big bike to use on the Peripherique. So, well done you! I take my FJR on it now and again and I tend to take it a bit easier due to it's width. You saw at one point the BMW in front of me taking it a bit more slowly due to its width.

Scooter riders are (insert favourite expletive here) nuts. They are downright dangerous and those riding the T-Max are suicidal. As they say, "no sense, no feeling". I've met two who are now, unfortunately, in wheelchairs. I have a friend who rides an electric BMW scooter. A really nice guy until he gets on the scooter, then he's an absolute animal.

As an aside, anyone coming to Paris must never, ever block a scooter rider as you'll be losing your Insurance Bonus (and mirror) in short order. I've even had one or two try and take me out as they felt I didn't give way quickly enough!

 

[rc_heli_nut]

Yikes! Obviously, the NT is a good bike for this task, but the stress level has to be unnerving, to say the least. Makes me really glad that most of my riding is on sparsely traveled 2 lanes. I do have to watch out for things like tractors pulling discs, and combines during certain times of the year.

 

[Det78580]

The law in France is you have to leave room for "Motos" on the white line of the outside lane in the areas where "Inter-files", Lane Splitting/Filtering, is permitted. Most in the major cities know this law. Those from elsewhere don't because the law is new and only an experiment for the next 3 years (though the Parisiennes have been doing it since motos were invented).

Max speed while Filtering is 50 km with a speed differential of no more than 30 km. The full details are here (in French - Google Translate is your friend): inter-files

I tend to keep to the spirit of the law though there are those who disregard it totally which is counter productive.

Thank you John for the insights and Video. Here a link providing lane splitting history and rules in english
Lane splitting
If I count correctly spent some 20.000 miles on the periferique yet on my NT700VA, still alive .

 

[JQL]

If I count correctly spent some 20.000 miles on the periferique yet on my NT700VA, still alive .

You're catching me up . I used to ride it daily for about 8 years so reckon on about 80,000 - 100,000 km

I have been pulled over a number of times (4 or 5 I think) for Filtering in France prior to the 1st experiment starting in 2018(?). I was just doing what everyone else was doing. As I have an English Licence (too much paperwork for the Gendarmes so I'm told), I was just told off and then sent on my way.

I know filtering has been practiced and "tolerated" in Paris since I first visited in 1997. Looking at old video from Paris in 1970s, it was certainly practiced then...

If you're fed up with the Gendarmes & Audio Radar on the Route des 17 tournants, I know a really good road a little further east...

 

[Coyote Chris]

Thanks for the vid! Very interesting.
1. If I had to drive a car or a bike in that traffic every day of my working life, I would go stark raving mad.
2. How close did you come on the average to those trucks you passed. ?
3. It appears all over the planet, the race of man refuses to accept that the more people you pack into a town/city that depends on cars, the traffic load increases asymtotically. Spokane just found that out.
4. Lots of the Paris environs appear to be just as ugly as California.
5. It appears as if safety/breakdown lanes are non existant? Left and right? It would appear that getting a tow truck and the police and an ambulance in and out of a traffic wreck would be a nightmare.
6. Washington state DOT is right. You can not build your way out of congestion.

 

[JQL]

Chris,

1. Many people do in Paris. Psychiatrists do very well over here.
2. Not sure, probably 18" when moving. If they are stationary, then 2" - 3". It's the same for all types of vehicles. If a van has "Bat Wing Mirrors", our mirrors will be below those.
3. In most cities if you put 30% of the commuters on motorcycles, you eliminate congestion.
4. Unfortunately, yes. It's only some (not all) of the older areas which are nice. They have tried to keep a lot of the skyscrapers out of the centre of Paris
5. There's no "Breakdown Lane, Hard Shoulder or 'Bande d'Urgence'". There's just enough room to get the emergency services through, if the vehicles can move out of the way. Quite often they drive down the wrong way as it's clear. There are barriers which come down across most of the "Expressways" just before some of the exits to close them off and move the traffic onto the city streets.
6. True, it has to be properly managed but the "Powers That Be" aren't interested (insert your reasons here )

 

[DirtFlier]

If you put 30% of the commuters on motorcycles (#3 from JQL's post), you will reduce congestion by greatly reducing the number of commuters! Surviving on a motorcycle in rush hour traffic takes much more skill and concentration than most car drivers are willing to give.

 

[ST1100Y]

3. In most cities if you put 30% of the commuters on motorcycles, you eliminate congestion.

The reason they'd legalized riding 125cc motos with car license over here...
Single track are also freed from charged short-term parking...

 

[JQL]

Paris is going to be charging for motorcycle parking from September 2022

We're out demonstrating against it every couple of weeks or so.