Notes culturelles: Les deux- roues



Because of the very high cost of gas, few French students can afford the luxury of owning and maintaining a car. Instead, many own un deux-roues (literally, a "two-wheeler"), such as a motorbike (un vélomoteur), a moped (une mobylette), a motor scooter (un scooter), or a motorcycle (une moto). Another popular bicycle is the VTT or vélo tout terrain (mountain bike), which can be used recreationally in town as well as in the country.

The deux-roues are not unanimously popular, however. Many find them noisy and dangerous, and several French cities and towns have begun to restrict their use at night and on weekends. The town of Le Mans instituted, in 1998, a Saturday afternoon ban on all motorized deux-roues.

La Cité Universitaire

For centuries, French universities catered only to the educational needs of the students, and their buildings were exclusively academic ones. As the number of university students increased—more than sevenfold between 1950 and 1989—student residences (les cités universitaires) were added. In many parts of France, the new cités universitaires were built in the suburbs where land is less expensive, while the academic buildings remained in the center of town. In Paris, for example, the Cité Universitaire is located several miles from the academic Quartier latin. This creates a serious transportation problem for the students, who must often commute long distances.

Activité

In the United States, where do American students generally live? How do they get to school?