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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