Summary
Paris lags other European capitals in green infrastructure
Car traffic has more than halved since turn of the century, town hall data shows
Critics argue changes hinder suburban commuters into city centre
PARIS, March 22 (Reuters) – Parisians vote in a referendum on Sunday to decide whether an extra 500 of the city’s streets should be pedestrianised and greened, in a new push by the French capital’s left-leaning town hall to curb car usage and improve air quality.
This is the third such referendum in Paris in as many years, following a 2023 vote that approved a ban on e-scooters , and a decision last year to triple parking charges for large SUVs.
Sign up here. "For the past 25 years we’ve gradually been reclaiming public space for pedestrian traffic, for gentle traffic, and with ‘garden streets’, to create lungs within neighbourhoods, the places where we live," Deputy Mayor Patrick Bloche told Reuters ahead of Sunday’s vote.Paris town hall data shows car traffic in the city has more than halved since the Socialists assumed power at the turn of the century.Mayor Anne-Hidalgo, in office since 2014, has overseen significant transformation in the city’s streets. Since 2020, 84 km (52 miles) of cycle lanes have been created and bicycle usage jumped 71% between the end of the COVID-19 lockdowns and 2023, the data shows.If approved, Sunday’s referendum will eliminate 10,000 extra parking spots in Paris, adding to the 10,000 removed since 2020. The capital’s two million residents will be consulted on […]
Continue reading the original article at: www.reuters.com