I'd love to get an explanation of why so many Parisian street corners sport duplicate street signs. Here the old sign appears up top, the newer one, which includes information about the person for whom the street was named, appears below. Was a new law passing requiring the new signs to be posted lower? Is it impossible to remove the old one without damaging the building? Inquring minds want to know.
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I’m starting to think that there should be an entire book on streets and street signs in Paris. During a walking tour last week, our guide pointed out the shortest street in Paris, Rue Henri de Jouvenel, that has three signs on it (two for one half of the street and one for other half). Talk about confusing!
A google search for “double street signs Paris” gives this answer to your question: Streets in Paris are often seen with two nameplates, one on top of the other, sometimes because the name of the street has changed, sometimes simply because the older nameplate has not been removed.
Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Double_street_signs_in_Paris
Wikimedia also shows pictures of quite a few streets with two signs.
Thanks for your earlier post about two street signs that have caught my attention, Rue des Mauvaises Garcons and Rue du Chat qui Pêche.
Sorry to take up more space in your comment section, but here's a link for an interesting article on the history of street signs in Paris.
http://www.ruavista.com/street.htm
Thanks for the info, Mary Kay!
Sometimes when walking, the signs are up so high I have trouble reading them; lower signs welcome. Perhaps drivers can see the higher ones better?
If they are going to add new signs, I am in agreement to leave the original signage in place.
I would suggest that no one told the guy putting up the new sign, to take down the old sign.
It seems that I was wrong about the shortest street in Paris.
Here’s more info from the official website for the city:
The longest street: Rue de Vaugirard (6th and 15th arrondissements): 4.36 km.
The shortest street: Rue Degrés (2nd arrondissement): 5.75 m.
The narrowest street: Rue du Chat-qui-Pêche (5th arrondissement): 1.80 m.
The broadest street: Avenue Foch (16th arrondissement): 120 m.
The steepest: Rue Gasnier-Guy (20th arrondissement): 17.4%.
Lowest point on a public street: 30.5 m (corner of the Rue Leblanc and Rue Saint-Charles, 15th arrondissement).
Highest point: 148.45 m (40, Rue du Télégraphe, 20th arrondissement).
And if you want to know even more about the history of a specific street in Paris, you can check the following website. Unfortunately, it’s only in French. http://www.v2asp.paris.fr/commun/v2asp/v2/nomenclature_voies/
I wondered the same thing.
I hadn't noticed it - but I'm sure I will next time. Good noticing :) Inquiring minds want to know...
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