In a new move that will delight tourists headed for Paris – who want to experience the city without being subjected to traffic-clogged streets – rules will be coming into force on Monday which are aimed at reducing noise and pollution in the French capital.
Motor vehicles that do not fall under a list of expectations will be banned from parts of the city centre from next week, in the latest move by the council to reduce traffic in the most densely populated capital in Europe.
The just under two-square-mile area, covering the first four arrondissements, is home to 100,000 people and includes the Louvre, Tuileries Gardens, Rue de Rivoli and most of the Avenue de l’Opéra.
The scheme will follow moves made by other European cities, including Rome and Madrid, to ban motor vehicles – with the exception of taxis and buses – from using the zone.
The city says traffic on the big roads, including the Avenue de l’Opéra, will drop by 30 percent, as well as reducing noise and pollution.
There is however, quite a long list of exemptions, including broad access for the vehicles of residents, businesses and people travelling for work, shopping, deliveries, dining, drinking or visiting museums and cinemas.
Anne Hidalgo, the mayor, has signed the long-promised measure imposing a limited traffic zone, having introduced a number of measures aimed at making the city greener since taking office in 2014. This has included extra parking fees for SUVs and the narrowing of streets with the creation of new cycle lanes and pavements.
However, there may be a few teething problems. For up to six months, wardens will issue warnings rather than fines, but it is not yet clear how drivers will be able to prove they can access the zone when they enter for shopping or entertainment. Prior online registration may be imposed.
After consultations with residents and businesses and negotiations with the city police, who are under state authority, the limited traffic zone first promised by Hidalgo in 2021 was shrunk.
It initially covered a section of the Left Bank, the roads along the Seine embankments and the Ile de la Cité and Saint Louis, the home of historic buildings including the Notre Dame cathedral.
Not all will welcome the new measure. While largely popular with Parisians, similar restrictions have also created tension, with frustrated and aggressive drivers at war with cyclists and e-scooter riders.
Motoring organisations have fought to slow the council’s anti-car campaign, arguing that it penalises businesses and workers from the surrounding and more populated greater Paris area. One aspect they are particularly angry with is the introduction of a 31 mph speed limit on the périphérique, the 21-mile motorway that encircles the city of Paris.
Nevertheless, unlike in London and other cities, Paris has no intention of introducing tolls for driving on its streets – for now.
