A cyclist rides past the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, close to the start of the proposed Limited … [+]
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The historic heart of Paris could soon be partially pedestrianized, if Parisians agree with plans issued by Mayor Anne Hidalgo on May 12.
According to the proposals, residents and traders will continue to be able to access the city in motor vehicles but all other through motor traffic will be removed, revealed David Belliard, Deputy Mayor of Paris and who leads on transport.
“180,000 cars circulate [in Paris] every day,” said Belliard.
“This is ten times more than the number of cars of [people] who live there,” he added.
Paris aims to create a Limited Traffic Zone, or ZTL, where priority will be given to cyclists, pedestrians and other non-motorised road users. A consultation says the plans are “part of a movement to reclaim urban space dedicated to the automobile in favor of new, more user-friendly and less polluting uses.”
The creation of a Limited Traffic Zone will create a “less polluted, greener, more peaceful and safer city,” stresses the consultation.
Mayor Hidalgo was re-elected last year on a mandate to “suppress through traffic,” said Ariel Weil, Mayor of Central Paris.
Parisians have the opportunity to “take ownership of this essential project in the evolution of their living environment,” says the consultation.
“What if we freed up public space for the benefit of those who really need it?” adds the document.
“What if we put well-being at the center of Paris?”
Motor traffic restriction plans for central zone of Paris
Ville de Paris
The Limited Traffic Zone would massively reduce the flow of motor vehicles in the heart of the French capital.
“Through traffic, that is, [motor] vehicles crossing the area without stopping there, will be generally prohibited,” says the plan.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP) (Photo by ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images)
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Hidalgo has been Mayor since 2014. In her re-election manifesto she said she planned to turn the French capital into a myriad of neighborhoods where “you can find everything you need within 15 minutes from home.” But, preferably, not by car.
Instead, the Socialist Party politician said she wanted more Parisians to walk and cycle in a “city of fifteen minutes”—or, Ville Du Quart D’Heure. Hidalgo aims to transform Paris into a people-friendly city, building on earlier “Plan Vélo” transport changes made during her first term of office, which included removing space for cars and boosting space for cyclists and pedestrians.
