Paris restricts car use to tackle pollution
PARIS — The French capital will impose alternate driving days Monday for motorists in an attempt to tackle a blanket of Beijing- style smog that is cloaking the city.
From 5.30 a. m., only cars with odd- numbered licence plates will be allowed to drive in the Ile- de- France region, with the restrictions applying to evennumbered cars on Tuesday if, as predicted, the air pollution continues.
Hundreds of police officers have been deployed to enforce the ban.
It is only the second time the French authorities have resorted to the drastic restriction, prompted after pollution exceeded safe levels last Wednesday.
On Friday, Paris authorities announced that public transport would be free for travellers over the weekend as a result of “significant risks to the health of residents” posed by the sharp rise in pollution. The cities of Caen, Grenoble, Reims and Rouen announced similar measures.
Paris had already made the municipal rental bike and electric car scheme free.
On Friday, particulates in the air reached 180 micrograms per cubic metre — well over double the safe limit. These so- called PM10 particulates are created by vehicles, heating and heavy industry.
With pollution levels forecast to rise further Sunday night, the prime minister’s office announced the decision to restrict drivers in and around the capital for the first time since 1997. Police said that around 700 officers would be deployed at 60 points around the capital.
Electric or hybrid cars are exempt from the ban, as are taxis, buses, and emergency vehicles. Cars carrying three or more people can also travel regardless of their number plate, in a bid to encourage car- sharing. The government also unveiled other pollution-lowering measures including restrictions on vehicle speeds and on burning fuel.
The Automobile Club Association, which has 760,000 members, criticized the move as hasty and bound to lead to chaos.