Paris has designated the first Sunday of every month, car-free days for the centre of the capital. — AFP
PARIS: Oct 7 marked the start of a new car-free campaign here that will ban drivers in the centre of the city on the first Sunday of every month.
Mayor Anne Hidalgo made the move official this past weekend, as part of her bigger, long-term vision to clean up the city's air and make the streets more pedestrian-friendly.
While the city has experimented with car-free days in the past, and banned traffic on the Champs-Elysées on the first Sunday of every month, the newest initiative will expand the programme to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th arrondissements of the city on the first Sunday of every month.
Between the hours of 10am to 6pm, the centre of Paris will be reserved for pedestrians, cyclists, and rollerbladers. Exceptions will be made for taxis, buses, delivery trucks and private chauffeur taxis.
