The Journal de Dimanche newspaper reports in their Sunday edition that the centre of Paris will be largely traffic free starting in 2012 under a development project called “traffic reduction in central neighbourhoods”.
The plan calls for a ban on the cars of non-residents and tourist buses in a 5.6 square kilometre area north of the river Seine.
In earlier phases, which could start as early as this year, several major road axes, including the densely used riverbank throughway, would be closed to traffic; cycle routes would be opened; and parking fees for non-residents would be raised.
But not everyone is happy about the plan. “the plan will turn Paris into a ghetto and cut off the capital from its hinterland. The car is indispensable to economic and cultural activity,” Christian Gerondeau, president of the National Federation of Automobile Clubs told the Journal de Dimanche.
