Journée sans voiture: Central Paris goes car-free for a day

In an initiative led by Mayor Anne Hidalgo, cars have been forbidden to drive in many inner-city neighborhoods from 11 am to 6 pm local time (0900 UTC to 0400 UTC) on Sunday. Cars with even number plates were ordered off the roads on one day, and those with odd numbers the following day. In March, Paris briefly ranked first in the world for air pollution.

Paris, with its historic buildings blackened by exhaust fumes, is going car-less for a day.

Paris, this is your city without cars.

Nevertheless the mayor heralded the achievement and sent a message of thanks to all those who had taken to the streets. They have been popular as successive governments have subsidised the fuel, making it cheaper than gasoline.Paris’s first car-free day primarily affects the city centre, and traffic can still circulate in numerous outer neighbourhoods. Those who hit the road anyway must observe a 20 kilometre-per-hour (12.5 mph) speed limit.

Still, the initiative drew rave reviews from many of those who took advantage of the car-free streets on Sunday. “It’s wonderful to be able to just ride freely and not worry about cars”.

“It makes everyone part of this movement where we’re not afraid to live without cars, with other ways of getting around, and it’s a normal, modern, legitimate movement for our big cities because pollution in our cities is a killer”, she said.

Paris has struggled with an increasingly toxic air pollution problem caused by vehicles, heating and heavy industry, which generate tiny floating particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and the blood system, causing health problems. Paris looked very different for the day.