The whole of Paris to go completely car-free just for one day
Pedestrians are being encouraged to stroll the City of Light as the French capital banned cars throughout the city for a day.
Paris has experimented in the past with car-free days, but Sunday marked the first time the entire city was handed over to ramblers, cyclists, and roller-bladers.
Only emergency vehicles, buses, and taxis allowed on the streets from 11 a.m. (1000 GMT; 0400 EDT) until 6 p.m. (1700 GMT; 1300 EDT)
Thousands reclaimed the boulevards, and many like Maxime Denis were thrilled to experience the city without the combustion engine.
As he walked near Place de la Republique in the city center, Denis told the Associated Press that it was nice to walk “without any risk to be run over.”
The anti-pollution initiative was given the green light by Anne Hidalgo, the Paris mayor, banning cars, motorcycles, and mopeds from the city from 11 am to 6 pm on October 1st.
This marks the first time the whole of the French capital will be closed off to traffic – taking part in the global Car Free Day.
Pedestrians, cyclists, and rollerbladers will be the only people allowed to travel around the city (with the exception of workers and some residents – more on this later).
Only the Peripherique ring road and the main routes around the Bois de Boulogne and the Bois de Vincennes will remain open to traffic, as drivers are encouraged to ditch their polluting cars and enjoy the tranquil city instead.
