Au Champs-Élysées, Il N’Y Ira Pas De Voitures (Paris Plans Monthly Car Bans on Famous Boulevard)
The first car-free day in Paris occurred in September, cutting Paris’s smog problem in nearly half
Photo: Anna Hidalgo
As air pollution becomes more and more of a problem across the world, many major cities are instituting partial car bans in order to combat rising smog.
And now Paris has joined cities like Delhi, Rome, Milan, and Beijing by instituting its own air-pollution-alleviating car ban. However, instead of banning cars by license plate number (as many cities like Beijing and Delhi are doing), Paris has decided that, starting on May 8th, cars will be banned from Paris’ famous Champs-Élysées on the first Sunday of each month.
Interesting Plans: What drew Mazda and Toyota together?
This isn’t Paris’ first car-free measure. Back in September, the city held a “day without cars” where cars were banned on some of the major streets, reducing pollution in those areas by as much as 40%.
This also probably won’t be the last car-free measure taken on by the city. Mayor Anne Hidalgo has always made environmental issues a priority since she took office in 2014, backing plans to expand pedestrian zones and ban diesel cars in the city by 2020. After the “day without cars” in September, Hidalgo has said that this September, the event would be spread to “all of Paris.”
These car-free zones may be a better idea than license-plate-based car bans, as this gets around the issue that cities like Mexico City have, where families buy two cars so they never have to go a day without one.
Kudos: Check out Mazda’s accolades for 2015
News Source: The Verge
The News Wheel is a digital auto magazine providing readers with a fresh perspective on the latest car news. We’re located in the heart of America (Dayton, Ohio) and our goal is to deliver an entertaining and informative perspective on what’s trending in the automotive world. See more articles from The News Wheel.