Paris: Low emission zone, driving bans, tighter regulations

Despite various measures, such as the introduction of several low emission zones and car-free Sundays, which should lead to a reduction in pollution, the air quality in the capital of France is not yet improving and remains critical. The pollution levels reached are so high that a resident of Paris has even sued the state for damage to his health. If the European Court of Justice, to which the case has been referred for interpretation, finds in his favour, France may have to pay the citizen up to 21 million in damages. However, this would require a confirming medical report, which should make it clear without obligation that health problems had been caused by the air pollution. Also necessary for the ruling is the admission that Paris and the rest of the country failed to ensure compliance with EU air quality limits. By actually finding in 2019 that the thresholds in the Île-de-France agglomeration for nitrogen oxide (NO2) had been consistently exceeded since 2010, the ECJ said this was precisely the case. The Paris State Council also found, according to the Court, that the values were continuously not respected until 2020. In addition, there is also too much particulate matter measured in the air. 

Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, together with a committee of experts, now wants to take the situation into her own hands and proposes traffic changes and mobility measures to get Paris back on track. Among them a new construction project for the Champs-Élysées and the redesign of the Périphérique and the tightening of driving bans within the environmental zones. 

Called "Réenchanter les Champs-Élysées" (Re-enchanting the Champs-Elysées), the two-phase project aims to optimise and reduce traffic on the boulevard and surrounding Place de l'Étoile and de la Concorde. A budget of at least 26 million euros is planned for the redesign, to which 6 million will be added by Solidéo (the company supplying the Olympic structures). The first stage of the upgrading project should be completed before the 2024 Olympic Games. When the second phase will be completed, on the other hand, is still unclear, he said. "What we will do is increase the size of the ring" for pedestrians that surrounds Arc de Triomphe, Hidalgo explained. "It's a narrowing of the space for the car, I'd rather make that clear. Because this is how we have to imagine the city of tomorrow," she added.  The Avenue des Champs-Élysées, on the other hand, will not be affected by the traffic reduction at first. Instead, small pedestrian zones will be set up along the avenue on side streets and the green space will be redesigned. "We will turn these gardens back into real walking gardens," the mayor announced. This should not only benefit the environment, but also provide livable space for the citizens again. To "create the freshness again", about 100 trees will be planted. They should contribute to indirectly balancing the CO2 balance, especially in view of the rise in temperature caused by climate change. 

The Champs-Élysées is not the only part of the Parisian road network that is undergoing changes. There are many streets in the capital that have become car-free over the last few months in order to reclaim space for people and businesses. A measure that unfortunately did not only bring peace to residents, but often led to traffic disruptions in the city centre. 

The search for the right balance between optimal traffic flow and greener redesign of the arterial road is even more important in the redesign of the first (and smallest) motorway ring road, he said. In preparation for the Olympic Games, Hidalgo wants to convert one lane of the urban motorway into a green space. About 20,000 trees will cover about ten hectares, transforming the Périphérique into a "green belt". One of the three remaining lanes will be reserved for buses, taxis and carpools. Part of their plan is to encourage citizens not to sit alone in an empty car, but to make more use of alternative forms of mobility such as carpooling. The maximum speed on the approximately 35-kilometre route, however, will remain at 70 kilometres per hour. 

However, all the mayor's plans could still change. To one side, her good intentions could be put aside due to fears that such a plan would not be feasible. Instead, it would only cause further disruption to the city's already busy road network. Whether a new face for the Champs-Élysées and the Périphérique will be the key to finally lowering Paris' air pollution levels will also only become clear once the project is complete.

What is certain, however, is that the rules of the low emission zones already active in Paris will soon become stricter. From next year, for example, sticker 3 will be banned, and in time for the Olympic Games, all diesel vehicles will be banned from 2024. This drastic step in particular can reduce air pollution