Smog-choked Paris forces half of cars off roads to drive down pollution

French authorities will on Monday put in place emergency traffic-limiting measures in Paris, as the City of Light and much of northern France suffers from a choking smog. City mayor Anne Hidalgo had asked authorities to prevent one in every two cars from taking to the capital’s streets and make all public transport temporarily free in a bid to drive down pollution. Only vehicles with number plates ending in an odd number will be allowed to drive, though exceptions exist for vehicles like taxis, electric cars and ambulances.

I am delighted the state has agreed to put in place a partial driving ban on Monday, which I have been requesting for several days.

City mayor Anne Hidalgo on Twitter

Public transportation is to be free until at least Monday in Paris and its surrounding towns in an effort to force pollution down by coaxing drivers to give up their cars for a few days. Similar emergency measures were last implemented almost exactly a year ago - on March 17 - during a particularly bad spike in pollution levels. On Saturday, air quality monitors predicted that concentrations of potentially dangerous particulates in the air could again go over the recommended maximum. These can penetrate deep into the lungs and the blood system and can cause cancer.

Health paris smog