When he was appointed to the French transport ministry in February, Patrice Vergriete inherited his predecessors' ambitious commitment: To get all of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games' spectators to its event sites by public transport, by bicycle or on foot. This would be a historic first. Three months earlier, on November 22, 2023, Anne Hidalgo, the Socialist mayor of Paris, had thrown a spanner in the works by denouncing the poor punctuality of the metros (subway), the RER (suburban trains) and buses, and by exclaiming: "We're not going to be ready."
Just hours before the Olympics begin, the French junior minister for transport was nonetheless relaxed. He even said he admired the work performed by all those involved: the Paris region's administration, Ile-de-France Mobilités (IDFM, the regional transport organizing authority), the transport companies (RATP, SNCF, etc.) and civil servants (those in his ministry, but also the interministerial delegate in charge of the Olympic Games, Michel Cadot, the regional prefect, Marc Guillaume and the Paris police prefect, Laurent Nuñez), to whom he paid tribute. "When I arrived in February, I saw the work that had been done. It's the work of a well-oiled machine, of a determined collective that works well," he told Le Monde.
These efforts began well in advance: As early as 2019, a technical committee chaired by the director general for infrastructure, transport and mobility – a senior official at the transport ministry – began meeting, before it became the "ministerial committee for mobility," which Clément Beaune chaired as minister from October 2022. Vergriete hailed it as "a combo that's really moved matters forward."
Paris region president Valérie Pécresse had the same reassuring tone. "In the end, the only hiccup was the unjustified controversy opened up by Anne Hidalgo," said a source in her entourage. Beaune paid it little heed. As far as he was concerned, the Paris City Hall had little influence over the transport plan. "It was important to get on well with Valérie Pécresse," said the former minister. "It's gratifying to see all the pieces of the puzzle in place today."
"Since the London Games, we've known that keeping the public well informed is crucial to the success of such an event," said Vergriete. Local residents must be prepared in advance for traffic restrictions and logistical difficulties. The government website Anticiperlesjeux.gouv.fr ("Anticipate the games") has been accessed by 7 million unique visitors.
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