Paris will restrict cars from swathes of the city centre from Monday in
the Socialist mayor’s latest attempt to steer traffic away from [1]the
French capital.
[2]Anne Hidalgo, the mayor who has prided herself on [3]implementing
anti-car measures, on Thursday published a decree imposing a limited
traffic zone in the capital’s centre.
The scheme, following in the footsteps of other major European cities,
will see many motor vehicles banned from using a 5 sq km area, covering
the first four arrondissements and home to around 100,000 people.
Access to the city centre will largely be restricted to emergency
vehicles, buses, taxis, those with reduced mobility, motorists living
or working there, and so-called “destination traffic”.
“Destination traffic” includes those visiting the area for a specific
reason, such as for a medical appointment, shopping, deliveries,
dining, drinking, as well as visiting museums and cinemas.
Once a grace period has passed, authorities are considering enforcing
the ban via a Covid-style system of proof-of-residence and online
declarations, both of which were used to stem the spread of the virus
during France’s various lockdowns.
Supporters say the move will restore welcome calm and clean air to the
congested capital. But opponents say the plan has been poorly thought
through, will be tricky to enforce and stifle already struggling
businesses in the city centre.
Currently up to half a million vehicles pass through central Paris
every day, according to the town hall, which argues that 70 per cent
are used out of “convenience” rather than necessity.
Starting on Monday, the measure will ban motor vehicles from a 5 sq km
area that includes the Louvre, Tuileries Garden, and a large chunk of
the Avenue de l’Opéra.
The ban means Ms Hidalgo, who was elected for the Socialist Party in
2014, is finally following through on a long-standing commitment that
has been postponed several times and has already been implemented in
Madrid and Rome.
Since the project was announced in May 2021, the limited traffic zone
was reduced in size after consultations with residents and businesses
and negotiations with the city police, who are under state authority.
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.
Noise and pollution will fall
Despite the many exceptions, the city estimates there will be a
“substantial” 30 per cent drop in traffic on the big roads in Paris
city centre, such as the Avenue de l’Opera, and that noise and
pollution will fall.
However, complying with the new rules could prove difficult, and
officials admit enforcement will be tough.
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 have an
activity in the zone when they enter for shopping or entertainment.
Once the grace period is over, authorities may introduce the Covid-era
system of proof of residence and online self-declarations.
Drivers may also have to provide proof of the reason why they are
travelling in the zone, such as shopping receipts, and restaurant or
theatre bills.
Those who flout the ban could then face a €135 (£113) fine.
Since her election, Ms Hidalgo has become a self-styled pioneer in
pushing cars out of Europe’s most densely populated capital. Streets
have been narrowed with the [4]creation of new cycle lanes and
pavements.
Earlier this month, she hit motorists with a double whammy of speed
cuts on the capital’s ring road – on pain of a €135 fine – and the
[5]tripling of parking fees for heavy vehicles, such as SUVs.
Opponents to her latest measure point to studies that show how it could
hurt footfall in the commercial heart of the capital and simply shift
traffic into surrounding roads.
Mickael Marciano, who runs a gallery in the chic Place des Vosges, said
he expected a significant hit on his business.
“It will be simply catastrophic,” he told the Telegraph.
“We predict we’ll lose 40-60 per cent of our business. It’s untenable.
Already today, the first Sunday of each month, the Marais district is
cut off to provincials who come into town by car. As they don’t have
access, they go elsewhere.”
Banker Stéphane Le Blevec, 51, who has an electric SUV and lives in
Paris’s eastern 11th arrondissement, was furious with the move.
“It’s an outrage,” he said. “It will simply end up in more traffic in
our district. It would be one thing if it was a total ban in Paris but
this concerns only 100,000 residents. All those who live around that
zone will be in the merde.
“We’re going to make huge detours just to satisfy four arrondissements.
I pay my taxes like everyone else, so why am I not exempt like those
inside the zone?”
‘We are talking about a religion’
Aurélien Véron, elected representative for Paris Centre and spokesman
for the Changer Paris opposition group, said he was “waiting for the
decree on the control procedures”.
“This is total improvisation. They have announced a ban without telling
people what they need to show to police.”
“More than an ideology, we are talking about a religion… the car is
heresy and one can only get around on public transport or by bike
whether old, with children or an artisan. They’re asphyxiating Paris
and sending yet another message to motorists that Paris is no longer
for you.”
He questioned how it could be enforced. “How are 20 municipal police
officers in central Paris going to check 500,000 vehicles in a 5 sq km
area? Those in the know will realise that there are no controls and
will drive in anyway”, said Mr Véron, adding that he was in favour of
camera-based fines.
But it has not been totally rejected by Parisians.
Fred Bernard, 52, said it was a “symbolic” step as it will encourage
more people to walk or use public transport in Paris.
“Driving through Paris is totally dumb,” the web designer said. “The
hypercentre is really not designed for cars.”
Julien Dubois, 52, who runs an online car parts vendor in central
Paris, said providing proof of his work address in the centre when he
comes in by motorbike could “prove a pain” but overall he was for it.
“If it’s properly enforced, I think that the majority of people will
respect this and there will be fewer cars in the city centre. That
said, if it’s too easy to get around the ban, it will be quickly known
and it won’t work.”
No fines are expected before April 1 2025. After that date,
London-style camera enforcement could be introduced.
David Belliard, deputy mayor of transport and public spaces in Paris,
said the administration was waiting for a change in the regulations
that would allow the city to introduce automatic enforcement using
cameras, as occurs in London.
Talks are underway with the interior ministry.
References
1.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/paris/
2.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/08/08/anne-hidalgo-mayor-paris-tells-critics-f-off/
3.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/10/01/parisians-speed-cut-tripled-parking-socialist-mayor/
4.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/03/17/cyclists-have-turned-paris-into-hell-on-earth/
5.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/11/15/paris-suv-owners-higher-parking-charges-referendum-mayor/
