Paris bans cars running in the city for two days in the row to curb city air pollution
22 replies, posted
[quote]Paris authorities restricted traffic in the city for a second day after a “lid of pollution” sealed the capital, causing concern over public health.
Photographs showed a grey veil of dirty air trapped over the city, masking the horizon and, at times, landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower. Experts said it was the longest most intense spike in pollution for at least 10 years and was expected to continue for at least another day if not longer.
Following a ban on vehicles with odd-number licence plates on Tuesday, it was the turn of those with even numbers to be told to leave the car at home on Wednesday. [B]To encourage them, public transport in the city and suburbs was free.[/B]
The alternate-day vehicle bans have only been introduced four times in the last two decades, and never before for two consecutive days.
[B]“Without it the air would be even more polluted. It’s an emergency solution to an urgent problem,” [/B]Charlotte Songeur of Airparif, which measures air quality in the French capital, said.
She added:[B] “Even before this, 1.6 million French people were breathing in a level of nitrogen dioxide over European recommended levels.”[/B]
High levels of pollutant gases and fine lead particles can cause asthma, allergies, breathing difficulties and heart diseases.
The Paris prefect, Michel Cadot, said the ban would be extended to a third day if air quality did not improve.
[img]https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/7270623b12af251ebf79c801e02182f6e2c6d222/0_44_5472_3283/master/5472.jpg?w=620&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&[/img][/quote]
[url]https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/07/paris-bans-cars-for-second-day-running-as-pollution-strikes[/url]
I can understand why they're doing this, that air looks fucking nasty
they do this like every month
i don't think they ever did it for two days straight, though
Im surprised theyre pinning this wholely on cars, sure thre pollute but it seems more likely a some industrial plant somewhere and a breeze in the wrong direction is the only thing that could spike pollution levels that fast
Well, free public transport is cool at least.
[QUOTE=CompanionMube;51493262]they do this like every month
i don't think they ever did it for two days straight, though[/QUOTE]
I mean, you live in France (I guess), but the article says that it's only been done four times in the last two decades.
[QUOTE=Mattk50;51493266]Im surprised theyre pinning this wholely on cars, sure thre pollute but it seems more likely a some industrial plant somewhere and a breeze in the wrong direction is the only thing that could spike pollution levels that fast[/QUOTE]
This is exactly the case.
Paris hosts the largest concentration of corporate industries in the world.
It's not the cars, it's the over concentration of industrial complex exhaust.
It's cheaper to provide free transit than to shut down global factories for a day.
Not a bad idea, though yeah the cars are not the only problem.
I wouldn't mind other places doing this though, provided the cities have good public transport systems to balance it out.
[QUOTE=Pascall;51493365]Not a bad idea, though yeah the cars are not the only problem.
I wouldn't mind other places doing this though, provided the cities have good public transport systems to balance it out.[/QUOTE]
Agreed, this would never work in Toronto. Our public transport is among the most terrible on the planet.
[QUOTE=Sam Za Nemesis;51493389]Build a bike lane for every street[/QUOTE]
Well most streets has them in paris.
[QUOTE=Cyberuben;51493287]I mean, you live in France (I guess), but the article says that it's only been done four times in the last two decades.[/QUOTE]
i don't live in paris, but i've often heard about the car bans on the news so i'm probably hyperboling a little
i might have also been mixing it with the fact that they recently banned cars registered before 1997 from most of the city (which is bloody stupid if you ask me)
Oh, That's nasty air. I think that type of pollution can give you lung defects and cancers? I remember hearing about something similar when the EV1 was introduce.
Also. Who drives to work in a city with a metro system?
[QUOTE=CompanionMube;51493898]i don't live in paris, but i've often heard about the car bans on the news so i'm probably hyperboling a little
i might have also been mixing it with the fact that they recently banned cars registered before 1997 from most of the city (which is bloody stupid if you ask me)[/QUOTE]
They do the same thing here in the Netherlands, it's because older cars are more polluting so they ban those from the city centers. Same for trucks between certain times I believe.
[QUOTE=Sims_doc;51493965]Oh, That's nasty air. I think that type of pollution can give you lung defects and cancers? I remember hearing about something similar when the EV1 was introduce.
Also. Who drives to work in a city with a metro system?[/QUOTE]
Denmark has some pretty decent public transport (barring some exceptional cases just when it starts to snow and some problems with the decades old rail network) and here in Copenhagen you'll find there's a SHIT ton of cars, even though there's a lot of people who bicycle to work since the bike lanes are pretty decent. But even then, those that bicycle mostly live within maybe 5 kilometers of their workplace. Any more than that and you usually have a car or use public transport.
The vast majority of those with vehicles are people who drive maybe 10km+ to work and back and there's ALOT of those people. My own parents drive 90 kilometers to- and from work which is like 90 minutes of driving each way and they're not the only ones who do.
Our cars are some of the most expensive in the world due to a 220% tax just to get the license plate on there and it's still not deterrence enough. At this point, I just chalk it up to people being lazy and using the most 'convenient' mode of transport, even though it's not the cheapest, the fastest nor the best for the environment.
That's the thing, you're not supposed to see air, this' so disgusting it's unbelievable that people live in it.
Surprised that Paris is looking worse than Shanghai.
Oh lol my city looks like that all the time. We live in a valley and all the pollution from LA gets trapped down here. It only gets moved out after high winds or storms.
how hasn't this happened in the states?
[QUOTE=sYnced;51495314]how hasn't this happened in the states?[/QUOTE]
Because there's this idiotic Diesel car craze in Europe, especially France, and Diesel engines are fucking nasty for air quality. As an American yourself, you probably understand just how rare Diesel cars are in your area. In Europe? Try something like at least 1 out of every 2 cars?
Sure, Diesel cars use less fuel and emit less carbon dioxide, but god fucking damn, they are absolutely filthy in terms of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides (the shit that will directly kill you). That's why several European mayors recently decided to ban Diesels from city centres.
[QUOTE=sYnced;51495314]how hasn't this happened in the states?[/QUOTE]
OH it does. Go outside city limits before 7 or 9 in the morning. Watch as the smog cloud rises from the city like a fart.
[QUOTE=DiBBs27;51493376]Agreed, this would never work in Toronto. Our public transport is among the most terrible on the planet.[/QUOTE]
We have THE worst transit system in the world. Have you ever seen our transit system? It's a mess, and now Terrible Tory wants to put tolls on the DVP and Gardiner.
And let me tell you, china can't even beat the levels of smog that we're getting down here, pretty soon we'll be importing air from Hong Kong.
SAD!
[QUOTE=sYnced;51495314]how hasn't this happened in the states?[/QUOTE]
What the ban or the smog? In which case both have happen. EV1, California, 1990's.
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