Fighting dirt and noise 50 km/h on the Paris ring road annoys commuters
From Tuesday, a speed limit of 50 km/h will apply on the chronically congested Parisian city highway. Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo wants to reduce air pollution, noise pollution and the number of accidents in this way.
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- The speed limit on the Paris city highway is to be reduced from 70 to 50 kilometers per hour.
- The plan has been criticized by conservatives.
- They say the measure is "anti-social" because it would mainly affect residents of the suburbs who drive to work at night or in the early hours of the morning.
- During the day, the average speed on the permanently congested "périph" is around 35 kilometers per hour anyway.
The decision to reduce the speed limit on the Parisian city highway from 70 to 50 kilometers per hour has been met with fierce criticism. However, it primarily affects traffic at night. During the day, the average speed is around 35 kilometers per hour due to the constant traffic jams.
The dirt and noise make life hell for the 500,000 or so residents, emphasized the city's traffic officer, David Belliard. "This urban highway model, designed in the 1970s, is no longer sustainable in times of climate change. It makes people ill and robs them of sleep," said Belliard.
However, the reduction in the speed limit has triggered fierce criticism from the conservative regional president Valérie Pécresse. The measure is "anti-social" because it mainly affects residents of the suburbs who drive to work at night or in the early hours of the morning, emphasized Pécresse. They would now lose up to twelve minutes of sleep, she calculated. Instead, the region is calling for a noise-reducing road surface, which would have to be renewed regularly.
One lane for buses, cabs and car pools
The Ministry of Transport and the Mayor of Paris agreed on a "permanent and independent analysis" of the impact of the speed limit. If the results are negative, the ministry reserves the right to change the law so that the mayor will not be able to decide on the city highway alone in future, it was subsequently stated.
Hidalgo wants to use the experience of the Olympic Games to further restrict car traffic in Paris. This includes reserving one lane of the city highway for buses, cabs and car pools.
The 35-kilometre-long Paris ring road is one of the busiest roads in Europe. It is mainly used by residents of the Paris suburbs, some of whom have poor public transport connections. On average, around 1.2 million vehicles use the "périph". Around 80 percent of them carry only one person at a time.
During the Olympic Games, one lane was reserved for participants, emergency services and organizers.
