Garbagescapes, Lyon 2012
By Baron von Rupp on Friday 30 March 2012, 10:38 - In the News - Permalink
As the great Lyon garbage strike of 2012 reaches its endgame, I thought this
would be a nice time for a photographic review of the neighborhood during the
past few weeks.
When you live in a large French city, dealing with strikes is a question of
habit and adaptation: somebody is always on strike somewhere and missing a
train, bus, airplane or bypass surgery while angry workers take their
frustration to the streets is just another thread in the tapestry of urban
French life.
But what happens when they stop taking the garbage away?
Angered by the imminent privatization of a certain percentage of Lyon's trash-removal operation, 17 days ago a majority of Lyon's garbage gurus decided to stop working. While we won't achieve the same level of suffering endured by the poor citizens of Naples for much of the last 20 years, make no mistake: garbage professionals control the well-being of a crowded city at least as much as police, firefighters and medical personnel. While the story is interesting in its own rite—it has made national news, mayor Gérard Collomb threatened to send in the army and the tale of the strike's final hours is now public—I think I'll let the pictures do the talking.
I hope they
take this person's car away when they come for the garbage. He or she
is parked in a crosswalk, after all.
This
unlucky person's car, on the other hand, has actually been covered in
garbage...
...while
the cars parked in these spots simply gave up and turned into
garbage.
This
garbagescape is right next to a park full of children's playthings and a
community center. Nice!
The door to
the right of the pillar just behind this mountain of merde is the
entrance to a Turkish restaurant. The terrace isn't as popular as it
once was.
Just around
the corner to the right of this palais de poubelle is a very good
bakery that now smells very bad. I am currently patronizing one of their
competitors.
And all that in just over two weeks! It smells. It sticks to your shoes when you walk. It stains everything, and occupies precious parking spaces (both real ones and erstwhile sidewalks, which are fair game for parking around here). And to think that Naples has gone without consistent garbage removal for years at a time! Quelle horreur...
But what happens when they stop taking the garbage away?
Angered by the imminent privatization of a certain percentage of Lyon's trash-removal operation, 17 days ago a majority of Lyon's garbage gurus decided to stop working. While we won't achieve the same level of suffering endured by the poor citizens of Naples for much of the last 20 years, make no mistake: garbage professionals control the well-being of a crowded city at least as much as police, firefighters and medical personnel. While the story is interesting in its own rite—it has made national news, mayor Gérard Collomb threatened to send in the army and the tale of the strike's final hours is now public—I think I'll let the pictures do the talking.
I hope they
take this person's car away when they come for the garbage. He or she
is parked in a crosswalk, after all. This
unlucky person's car, on the other hand, has actually been covered in
garbage... ...while
the cars parked in these spots simply gave up and turned into
garbage. This
garbagescape is right next to a park full of children's playthings and a
community center. Nice! The door to
the right of the pillar just behind this mountain of merde is the
entrance to a Turkish restaurant. The terrace isn't as popular as it
once was. Just around
the corner to the right of this palais de poubelle is a very good
bakery that now smells very bad. I am currently patronizing one of their
competitors.And all that in just over two weeks! It smells. It sticks to your shoes when you walk. It stains everything, and occupies precious parking spaces (both real ones and erstwhile sidewalks, which are fair game for parking around here). And to think that Naples has gone without consistent garbage removal for years at a time! Quelle horreur...
