Paris to restrict traffic in centre: City hall

Vehicle access to this zone will only be authorised for emergency vehicles, buses, taxis

Paris: Paris authorities said Thursday they will from next week limit traffic in the central core of the French capital, banning vehicles from transiting through the area.

The city hall under Socialist Anne Hidalgo, who has for years led a drive to restrict traffic and encourage cycling in the car-clogged French capital, published a decree imposing a limited traffic zone (ZTL) in the core of the centre.

The decree applies to the first, second, third and fourth districts in the capital, an area of some 5.5 square kilometres that includes landmarks such as the Louvre museum and Tuileries gardens.

The measure will come into effect on Monday, David Belliard, the Green deputy mayor in charge of transport, told AFP.

Vehicle access to this zone will only be authorised for emergency vehicles, buses, taxis, people with reduced mobility, motorists living or working there and so-called “destination traffic” including those in the area for a specific reason such as a medical appointment, shopping, or cinema visit.

Postponed several times, the implementation of the zone was a campaign commitment of Hidalgo to free up public space in the city centre taken up by cars and reduce pollution, following the example of several large European cities including Madrid, Milan and Rome.

Since the project was announced in May 2021, its scope has been the subject of sometimes thorny discussions with Paris police. But in a sign agreement had been reached, the police co-signed the decree published on Thursday.

Paris City Hall expects a “substantial” decrease in traffic volume of up to 30 percent on the busiest roads, as well as a decrease in noise and an improvement in air quality thanks to a drop in nitrogen dioxide concentrations.

The system will be enforced via a system of proof of residence and online declarations, with an initial grace period as people get used to the new rules, the city hall said.

Hidalgo has increased cycle lanes in Paris at the expense of cars, notably on the rue de Rivoli, a major street in the city centre. But critics accuse her of merely shifting traffic and causing even heavier concentrations of cars elsewhere.