RELATED: If Your Car Has This, Remove It Immediately, Police Warn. On Feb. 17, officials in Paris announced that it would be instituting a ban on cars in certain areas of the city to help cut back on the notorious traffic jams that have become a constant problem in the French capital. The new rules will go into effect in 2024. The new plan would create a “car-free zone” that covers most of the metropolitan center, including most of the city’s 1st through 4th arrondissements, travel news outlet The Points Guy reports. The bustling tourist and residential area is home to many of the city’s most famous attractions, including the Louvre, Sainte-Chapelle royal chapel, Tuileries Garden, and the Marais district. City officials clarified that the new rules wouldn’t wholly rid the streets of vehicles when they go into effect. The traffic ban specifies that local residents will still be able to drive and park their cars in the area, The Points Guy reports. Instead, officials say the new rules aim to eliminate the constant flow of cars passing through the city center. “We want destination traffic,” David Belliard, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of the transformation of public space and mobility, said in a statement. “For people who have something to do there: shopping, going to the doctor, to the restaurant, etc.,” adding that delivery drivers would also still have access.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb
RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. Initially, the city had planned to institute the changes this year to improve air quality and decrease congestion ahead of the city’s hosting duties for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. However, the start date of regulations was pushed back so the city could “extend the calendar for the benefit of legal robustness,” Emmanuel Grégoire, the 1st deputy mayor of Paris, explained. While the city officials haven’t said exactly how it would enforce the new rules, they explain the current plan is to use random spot checks of vehicles leaving the area for proof of their visit, such as a receipt, The Points Guy reports. A camera system is also expected to be installed to keep track of residents’ license plates. Officials say the city will issue fines to drivers who violate the “car-free zone” regulations. The forthcoming ban won’t be the first time officials in Paris have attempted to make the city less dependent on cars. During the COVID-19 lockdowns in the French capital, Mayor Anne Hidalgo installed more than 100 miles of new bike paths to encourage cyclists to ditch their vehicles, The Verge reports. And in 2017, city officials banned cars from driving along a two-mile stretch of road along the River Seine to create a pedestrian area and decrease air pollution. RELATED: The One Car You Should Never Buy Used, According to 2021 Data.
