Anne Hidalgo forced to postpone one of his flagship measures against cars in Paris

The prohibition of transit traffic in the center of Paris is repulsed at 2024, due to the legal risks posed by the project.

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In Paris, fight against the car and the motorcycle turns out more difficult than expected by Anne Hidalgo. After delaying the setting up of the paying parking for the two-wheel drive, the socialist mayor has just repels a year and a half the prohibition of transit traffic into the center of Paris. Initially scheduled for the first half of 2022, the realization of this flagship measure of the program of the Red-Rose-Green Coalition which directs Paris is now considered for the beginning of 2024, announced the town hall Thursday 17 February.

The objective remains unchanged. In their action against pollution, Anne Hidalgo and his team always want to drastically reduce the circulation of cars, motorcycles and scooters in the historic heart of Paris. The mayor had first mentioned “the pedestrian of the center of Paris”. Then she clarified her project: it’s not about blocking all vehicles, only those who only cross the center of the capital. About one in two car. In the long term, transit traffic must therefore become prohibited in a large area covering all the first four boroughs, as well as the parts of the e and 7 e borough located between the Saint-Germain boulevard and the Seine.

Problem: If it is acclaimed by some of the population, this very symbolic project of the action against the whole car is also very criticized, especially on the right. Number of elected officials and professionals fear a massive traffic postponement around the prohibited area, so new traffic jams, and a transfer of pollution. Recourse listed inevitable. “As with the closure of the yards on bansels, which has resulted in only a displacement of pollution on the periphery and not its decrease, Anne Hidalgo makes political display”, deplore the elected representatives the Republicans led by Rachida Dati, who “categorically oppose the project”.

Impact study

“As we are expected at the turn, we wanted to make this project stronger, especially on the legal basis,” explains David Belliard, the Ecologist Assistant for Transport. The town hall of Paris has therefore taken the lead, and consulted the environmental authority. It has just made its verdict: considering the magnitude of this project, it is necessary to submit it to a heavier process than envisaged. That is, to carry out an impact study, to gather the opinion of the environmental authority, and to carry out a public inquiry.

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/Media reports.