Soon there will be no more cars on the quais of the right bank, between the Tuileries tunnel in the 1st arr. and the Henry IV tunnel/bassin de l’Arsenal in the 4th arr. That’s basically the section blocked to traffic during Paris Plage (late July to late August). Now this 3.3km/2 mile stretch will be reserved for pedestrians, cyclists and rollerbladers only.
This is part of a continued effort to reduce traffic and pollution in the capital. According to Le Monde, there are now 28% fewer cars in the city than there were in 2001.
Of course this move is not without controversy. Some argue it will worsen traffic on other main arteries and create more traffic jams, a potentially dangerous situation for emergency vehicles trying to maneuver in the city. But the hope is that in the long-term people will be more and more dissuaded from owning cars in Paris.
