Paris Sets Speed Limit to 30KPH to Reduce Pollution

Over half of Paris had already been restricted to speeds of no more than 30kph and now the speed limit has been extended to the entirety of the city, starting last Monday. The restriction is intended to help reduce air and noise pollution, and the rate of serious traffic accidents.

Since taking office, Anne Hidalgo, the city mayor who is on her second six-year term, has increased bike lanes, banned old diesel vehicles and made the banks of the Seine car-free. This is not the last of a string of efforts to reduce car usage: authorities will be removing 60,000 roadside parking spaces, which is more than 40% of what is available; sidewalks will be widened and there are plans to include even more bicycle lanes and trees and plants to make it more conducive for cycling and walking.

While positioned as not an “anti-car” move, it certainly seems so. The change will put people off driving and encourage them to use public transport, bicycles or their own two feet. Officials also estimate that the new city-wide limitation will reduce road accidents by 20% and road fatalities by 40%.

The rule, while favoured by 59% of Parisians, according to a poll conducted by City Hall, is not without criticism. One of the key concerns is that slow speeds will worsen peak hour traffic and thus, contrary to what they hope to achieve, increase vehicle emissions. 30kph is as only as fast as an electric scooter can go, so drivers of commercial vehicles, which are usually on a schedule, have been finding themselves in traffic jams across the city since the rule was implemented.

Like other initiatives that governments are implementing in the name of saving the environment, are they really just swapping one problem for three?