Driving schools in go-slow protest

DRIVING instructors are planning to bring traffic to a halt in 13 cities around France on Monday, including Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Bordeaux.

They are protesting about reforms to the French driving licence that are part of the Loi Macron which is going through parliament this week.

Trade union Unidec and the three main driving school networks in France - ECF, CER and City'Zen - are taking part in the go-slow convoys.

One of their complaints relates to a proposal in the new law to scrap the minimum 20 hours of practical lessons that a candidate must take before they can sit the test.

Instructors are also against allowing a candidate to assess their driving knowledge online before they visit a school.

"It's a bit like asking a painter to give a quote when he hasn't even seen the apartment to be painted," one union rep told Le Parisien.

A smaller protest was held in Paris on Friday, with nearly 1,000 cars causing delays around Invalides and on some of the junctions of the périphérique.