‘Obstacle course’ for the disabled: Can Paris transport be made accessible in time for the Olympics?

Serge Mabilly sits outside a metro entrance that is inaccessible to wheelchair users at the Place d'Italie in Paris on August 24, 2023. © Cyrielle Cabot, FRANCE 24

The Summer 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games are accelerating plans to improve disabled access in and around the French capital, according to organisers. But plans for the Paris public transport network have sparked concern that the temporary improvements imagined for the games are a “missed opportunity” for lasting change.

Serge Mabilly types his destination into his mobile phone: the Bercy Arena in Paris’s 12th arrondissement(district). From the metro stop at Place d'Italie, the 2km journey should take around 15 minutes on metro line 6.