Parisian car ban now planned for 2024

Photo by CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP via Getty Images

The city of Paris plans to ban private vehicles from the historic heart of the city by early 2024 in order to decrease congestion and improve air quality in the French capital. Last May, the city's mayor and Anne Hidalgo, a French presidential hopeful, announced a two year delay on the original 2022. The ban is part of a larger effort to improve the city before it hosts the Olympic Games.

The city's first four arrondissements, as well as the two islands on the Seine which host the Notre-Dame, will be the focus of thetranquil zone. The current plan is for the city to enforce the zone with random spot checks of vehicles.

Image: Paris.fr

Rather than banning all private vehicles, it will focus on through-traffic that makes up around half of the vehicles on the roads. Delivery drivers will still have access, and people will still be able to drive into the area to visit friends, or access amenities like shops or the theater according to the city's deputy mayor David Belliard. It is estimated that the ban will take over 100,000 cars off the roads daily.

The ban is part of a larger effort to reduce the amount of cars in Paris. Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants the city to become less car-centered and more cycle-friendly by creating over 100 miles of new bike paths and banning cars from some highways.

The New York Times reports that the city's transformation into a cycling metropolis has faced growing pains, with residents complaining that many cyclists are ignoring the rules of the road. The new network of cycle lanes has been criticized for having bad layouts that can penalize cyclists who obey the rules. Adding more police to enforce the rules and educating children about the rules of the road are some of the things authorities have responded to.

78 percent of the 7243 people who responded to the first consultation phase were in favor, according to the deputy mayor. The plan will go through an impact study and public inquiry.

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