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Paris goes car free today to tackle air pollutionParis (CC licensed by Moyan Brenn via Flickr)

Paris goes car free today to tackle air pollution

The move is the latest measure by mayor Ann Hidalgo to tackle dangerous pollution levels and promote walking and cycling
by Laura Laker
Sun, Sep 27, 2015 11:36
6

Today Paris' busy streets will be quieter and sweeter-smelling than normal as swathes of the capital go car free for the day.

For one day private cars - and motorbikes - with diesel or petrol engines are shunned from the city's streets in a bid to raise awareness of the dangerous levels of pollution the city suffers, and to showcase city life without motor cars, where pedestrians and cyclists instead have priority.

Paris Sans Voitures takes place ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, whose goal is to agree a legally binding and universal agreement on climate change from all nations of the world.

Pictures shared on Twitter, where #Parissansvoitures is now trending, show what would normally be car-choked boulevards blissfully quiet.

Between 11.00 and 18.00 the first, second, third and fourth arrondissements - a significant part of the city centre - are strictly car-free. Elsewhere cars will be tolerated at a maximum speed of 20kph (12mph). Taxis, delivery vehicles and emergency vehicles are excluded from the ban

Earlier this year Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo, introduced emergency measures to tackle dangerous pollution episodes, where vehicles with odd or even numbered plates were banned from the capital for the day. The initiative cut congestion by up to 40%.

While in some places cars have been covered, rather eerily, in white sheets.

And of course, people are cashing in on the event, with segway tours and t-shirts on offer on this unusual day for the French capital.

Could UK cities follow suit?

Paris
Car Free Day
Air Pollution
Laura Laker

Laura Laker is a freelance journalist with more than a decade’s experience covering cycling, walking and wheeling (and other means of transport). Beginning her career with road.cc, Laura has also written for national and specialist titles of all stripes. One part of the popular Streets Ahead podcast, she sometimes appears as a talking head on TV and radio, and in real life at conferences and festivals. She is also the author of Potholes and Pavements: a Bumpy Ride on Britain’s National Cycle Network.

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6 comments

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wantstohaveasay | 9 years ago
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I happened to be in Paris on Sunday and took a velib' out - it was great. City was buzzing, such a glorious day! Read many comments by Parisiens about the air quality improvements - so even if it wasn't fully car-free, it made a huge difference. It was brilliant 16

Avatar
Username | 9 years ago
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Watch the videos from today and your first thought will be: amazing, this should happen every Sunday.

Then, if it should happen every Sunday you begin to wonder why not other days as well.

Chapeau Paris.

Avatar
enas | 9 years ago
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Sorry to temper your enthusiasm, but beyond the buzz, this day is mostly a load of hot air. In short, the car free area covers only the centermost -- and not a significant -- part of Paris, with a 200,000 population (of a total of 2.2 million in Paris proper), where car ownership is anyway very low (as in less than 30%); it happens on a Sunday for 6 small hours, at a time when car traffic is anyway very low (or even non-existent, in the streets that are closed every Sunday, such as in le Marais or on the banks of the Seine). As such, the impact will be tiny.

I don't mean to sound negative, I'm very happy for those who will go out and enjoy this day (and the weather is gorgeous!), it's just that those politically motivated grossly exagarated claims irritate me.

Avatar
jasecd replied to enas | 9 years ago
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enas wrote:

Sorry to temper your enthusiasm, but beyond the buzz, this day is mostly a load of hot air. In short, the car free area covers only the centermost -- and not a significant -- part of Paris, with a 200,000 population (of a total of 2.2 million in Paris proper), where car ownership is anyway very low (as in less than 30%); it happens on a Sunday for 6 small hours, at a time when car traffic is anyway very low (or even non-existent, in the streets that are closed every Sunday, such as in le Marais or on the banks of the Seine). As such, the impact will be tiny.

I don't mean to sound negative, I'm very happy for those who will go out and enjoy this day (and the weather is gorgeous!), it's just that those politically motivated grossly exagarated claims irritate me.

Well, you do sound negative - no doubt a lot of what you have written is true however this is effective as a statement. The huge but inevitable task of having to reduce car usage will start with many small events such as this which will begin to unwind long held beliefs about the importance of a motor vehicle. Hopefully many Parisians will try cycling in their city today and realise how effective a mode of transport it is and then a few will keep it up for good.

This isn't a solution but a small step on a long journey - you don't reach a tipping point in one go but you do get there exponentially quicker so every event and initiative is a move in the right direction.

Avatar
jasecd replied to enas | 9 years ago
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enas wrote:

Sorry to temper your enthusiasm, but beyond the buzz, this day is mostly a load of hot air. In short, the car free area covers only the centermost -- and not a significant -- part of Paris, with a 200,000 population (of a total of 2.2 million in Paris proper), where car ownership is anyway very low (as in less than 30%); it happens on a Sunday for 6 small hours, at a time when car traffic is anyway very low (or even non-existent, in the streets that are closed every Sunday, such as in le Marais or on the banks of the Seine). As such, the impact will be tiny.

I don't mean to sound negative, I'm very happy for those who will go out and enjoy this day (and the weather is gorgeous!), it's just that those politically motivated grossly exagarated claims irritate me.

Well, you do sound negative - no doubt a lot of what you have written is true however this is effective as a statement. The huge but inevitable task of having to reduce car usage will start with many small events such as this which will begin to unwind long held beliefs about the importance of a motor vehicle. Hopefully many Parisians will try cycling in their city today and realise how effective a mode of transport it is and then a few will keep it up for good.

This isn't a solution but a small step on a long journey - you don't reach a tipping point in one go but you do get there exponentially quicker so every event and initiative is a move in the right direction.

Avatar
javacofe replied to enas | 9 years ago
0 likes

Quite a limited view.

Viva le François!

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