In an effort to combat air pollution in one of the most beautiful cities on the planet, it has been decided that cars won’t be allowed on the iconic Champs-Élysées in Paris on the first Sunday of every month. This monthly car ban was approved in February this year and the mayor’s office has confirmed that the ban will go into effect starting May 8th.
This is an important step by the city of Paris as fine-particle air pollution is said to account for about 42,000 deaths every year in France alone, according to the World Health Organization.
As long as the ban is in place for the entire day the Champs-Élysées will be pedestrian-only. The environment is certainly going to like this decision and so will the tourists, who will get a chance to walk down the road without worrying about traffic.
The city plans to create more pedestrian zones across Paris and is even looking to ban diesel cars completely by 2020. The first “day without cars” was held in Paris back in September last year and it’s sticking with the concept.
Other European cities are taking similar measures to combat rising smog levels and environmental pollution overall. Milan banned private cars from city streets for several hours a day in 2015 while Oslo is planning to place a complete ban on motorists in the city center by 2019.
Filed in .. Source: leparisien.fr