Why is Paris Going Car-Free?

For one day later this month, the city of Paris will be entirely free from cars. September the 27^th 2015 is Paris Sans Voiture, ‘Paris Without Cars’, and will draw attention to the effect upon the environment of all our car traffic on a daily basis and popularise more sustainable forms of transport, as well as hopefully inspiring other cities around the globe to do the same.

An Environmentally-Friendly Mayor

The initiative was dreamt up by Parisian mayor Anne Hidalgo in an effort to take a stand against the ever-worsening problem of climate change. It will stretch across the city, reaching the most popular tourist quarters of the city and allowing visitors to experience landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Élysées and the Left Bank in a completely new way.

It’s not the first time that Mayor Hidalgo has put climate change firmly on the city’s agenda. Earlier this year in March, Hidalgo introduced a number of emergency traffic measures to ease congestion on the city’s streets, which had become overshadowed by a noxious cloud of smog. The operation, which only allowed environmentally-friendly cars, vehicles carrying more than three passengers or odd number plated cars into the city, was deemed a complete success. By fining more than 2,800 drivers who ignored the rules, congestion was cut by 40% and the smog cloud soon abated.

Then in May, Hidalgo announced plans to pedestrianize the banks of the River Seine. Costing an estimated €8 million, the project would replace the current busy street with lush gardens, green walkways and children’s play parks. The proposals lead on from the work done by Hidalgo’s predecessor Bertrand Delanoë, who pedestrianized part of the Seine’s banks in 2013 – much to the delight of foot traffic but chagrin of drivers.

A Step in the Right Direction

The event is planned to coincide with European Mobility Week and the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Summit COP21, scheduled to take place in Paris in December. At it, world leaders from all over the globe are expected to come together and discuss how to limit the harmful effects of our behaviour on the Earth.

Curbing our use of cars and their harmful output (perhaps by turning to more environmentally-friendly vehicles) is certainly a step in the right direction, but there are many other damaging practices which need examination.

Our reliance on fossil fuels stretches far beyond the automotive industry – the vast majority of the electricity with which we power our homes comes from the combustion of oil and gas, spitting out greenhouse gases and other dangerous fumes into the environment. Indeed, all of the power plants in the country of China alone emit just as much harmful nitrous oxide (NOX) as all of the passenger cars in the entire world. Clearly, our energy production methods (especially those of the Asian superpower) need to be rethought and made more sustainable.

For now though, Paris’ effort to clean up its city represents a promising effort in the fight against climate change.