Paris, Brussels call for car-free day in Europe

Europe should hold an annual car-free day in a bid to ease air pollution, the mayors of Paris and Brussels said Saturday on the eve of a vehicle-free day in their cities.

The call came in a joint statement by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and her counterpart in Brussels, Philippe Close, in which the two pointed to "the urgency of climate issues and the health impact of pollution".

Both capitals will on Sunday hold their annual car-free day as part of the European Heritage Days 2018, a weekend of cultural events staged every year in countries throughout the bloc.

In Paris, City Hall had on Friday said six areas at the heart of the capital would remain traffic-free on the first Sunday of every month, including Ile de la Cite and Ile Saint-Louis, Louvre, Opera, Chatelet and the Marais.

The plan will kick in from October 7, with cars only allowed on the major roads crossing these neighbourhoods.

Between 2017 and 2018, car traffic in central Paris fell by 6.0 percent, which reduced air pollution "by a comparable proportion," City Hall said, describing it as a "record" drop.

Related Links
Car Technology at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Another Tesla executive heads for exit
San Francisco (AFP) Sept 13, 2018
Tesla confirmed on Wednesday that finance executive Justin McAnear is leaving the electric car maker as it strives to become profitable by the end of the year. Word that McAnear was heading for the off-ramp followed chief accounting officer Dave Morton's departure after just a month on the job, citing the company's frenetic pace. "Several weeks ago, I announced to my team that I would be leaving Tesla because I had the chance to take a (chief financial officer) role at another company," McAnear ... read more