Paris, the city of light and sometimes bad air, will take a mini-break from traffic and air pollution this Sunday, when the capital celebrates its first “Journee sans Voiture,” a project of Mayor Anne Hidalgo.
Hidalgo first proposed the day back in March, the month when Paris briefly passed Shanghai to become the world’s most polluted city. At that time, Paris fought back with several days of free public transit to get cars off the road. The city’s bike-share program was also free for a while.
The mayor proposed to have this Day without Cars cover the entire city, but for this first time out, it will cover only the core four arrondissements and selected additional areas, including Montmartre and the great parks of Bois de Boulougne and Bois de Vincennes. Hidalgo blames the central government for not allowing a full shutdown.
During the celebration there will be live free events around the city—but celebrators will need to be careful moving around; even during the 11 am to 7 pm shutdown, buses, taxis and delivery trucks will still be moving, although restricted to 20 mph. Hidalgo hopes to pull off a full shutdown of the city next year.
Photo: Hotel de Ville, Paris
