Paris bans cars along part of River Seine

AFP, PARIS: Strollers and cyclists can breathe easy on the banks of the Seine after Paris on Monday approved a plan to ban cars on a long stretch of riverside road cutting across the city. Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo hailed the move as a “historic decision, the end of an urban motorway and the taking back of the Seine.”
A centrepiece of her battle against pollution, the plan has divided opinion in the French capital.
“We need to slow down a bit, let go, stop and relax,” said Violetta Kolodziejczak, a restaurant greeter.
“If you’re in a car, who has time to appreciate all this?” asked the Polish 56-year-old, sweeping an arm towards the turret-topped stone facades on the riverside, with the Eiffel Tower in the distance.“It’s magnificent.”A recent opinion poll found 55 percent support for the plan among Parisians.
Nearly 19,000 people signed a petition in favour, while a motorists’ association gathered 12,000 signatures of members who oppose it.
The car ban applies to 3.3 kilometres (two miles) of an expressway on the Right Bank of the Seine.

 

Paris bans cars along part of River Seine

AFP, PARIS: Strollers and cyclists can breathe easy on the banks of the Seine after Paris on Monday approved a plan to ban cars on a long stretch of riverside road cutting across the city. Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo hailed the move as a historic decision, the end of an urban motorway and the taking back of the Seine. A centrepiece of her battle against pollution, the plan has divided opinion in the French capital. We need to slow down a bit, let go, stop and relax, said Violetta Kolodziejczak, a restaurant greeter. If youre in a car, who has time to appreciate all this? asked the Polish 56-year-old, sweeping an arm towards the turret-topped stone facades on the riverside, with the Eiffel Tower in the distance.Its magnificent.A recent opinion poll found 55 percent support for the plan among Parisians. Nearly 19,000 people signed a petition in favour, while a motorists association gathered 12,000 signatures of members who oppose it. The car ban applies to 3.3 kilometres (two miles) of an expressway on the Right Bank of the Seine.