MY kind of politics

One-way to fall out

Two feuding mayors of neighbouring Paris suburbs have each declared the same street one-way - in opposite directions.



Patrick Balkany, the conservative mayor of Levallois-Perret, made the D909 one-way to cut the commuter traffic flowing through his district.

But Gilles Catoire, the Socialist mayor of neighbouring Clichy-la-Garenne, complained this increased congestion in his area.

So he declared his section of the road one-way, but in the opposite direction, reports the Daily Telegraph.

With contradictory road-signs in place, police had to be called in to sort out the resulting commuter chaos, road rage and gridlock.

"What Clichy has done is not a long-term solution, but it is a response to a unilateral decision by the town of Levallois," Clichy's deputy mayor, Alain Fournier said.

But Mr Balkany insisted: "The mayor of Clichy has taken a position that is unreasonable and is hurting his own constituents."

Patrick Strzoda , the governor of the Hauts-de-Seine departement, has now ruled that Mr Balkany was in the right.

He said that Levallois' plan was "coherent" and a study showed that there would be "no notable" rise in traffic in neighbouring towns.

Clichy's decision, however, was done "without any prior study" and had caused "serious disorder", he said. Clichy's mayor has promised to appeal.

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NIce to know that bobos are not just confined to our borders.

I think the mayors should play a good ol' game of "chicken" to solve this issue once and for all;)

Reminds me of the town line between Northbridge, MA and Sutton MA.

There's a bridge over a major highway right on the border of the two towns. The highway supers hate each other, and neither ever took responsibility for their crews plowing the bridge.

Most big snowstorms there would be a berm in the middle of the bridge where the plows from each town would turn around. Neither town would plow the whole bridge.

Made the commute miserable, but it's a funny little quirk of small town New England.