How to cross the street in Paris… I’ll look you in the eye!
Mar 28th, 2009 by Jeroen
In Paris I cross the street every day.In paris this is different from the Netherlands. Let me tell you how I cross the street in Paris… the Dutch way. Use the contents of this post at your own risk!When you cross the street in Paris there are usually lights, even when there is a zebra crossing. These lights are usually not more than indicators of traffic as Iisee that they are frequently ignored by people that cross the street. However when there are no lights it is a different story. Sometimes I can see people waiting for a long time before they can cross the street.
When I get to one of these zebra crossing without ligths I approach it as a Dutch zebra crossing. In the Netherlands pedestrians have the right of way by law. So in NL you touch the zebracrossing and cars stop (usually). However in France you have to be a little bit more persistant.
I step onto the zebra crossing. Then I make eye contact with the approaching car and kind of start crossing. Cars always stop for me somehow, much to the amazement of French people. I don know if this is the Duch way, but it works for me.So if you drive a car in the Paris area… I will be looking you in the eye!
Nice info. I’ll have to remember that. It’s probably the shock of someone looking them in the eye. In Italy you do just the opposite; you don’t look at them at all, just cross the street. If you make eye contact then you saw them coming and should have gotten out of the way. If you don’t look, then you didn’t see them, and they will have to stop for you (hopefully).