Driving Restrictions in Paris as Pollution Levels Rise

Recently, pollution levels in Paris have gotten to such dangerous levels, that the French government is instituting a restriction on the number of motor vehicles allowed to drive on the streets of Paris.  The past five days have seen some of the heaviest pollution in Paris in recent years, since 2007.  The driving restrictions are to be enforced after 5:30 in the morning; cars and motorcycles will be allowed to drive based on odd and even license plate numbers.  To alleviate some of the problems Parisians are undoubtedly going to face with the new restriction, the government has provided free public transportation for Parisians this past weekend.  Many citizens, however, are reluctant to respect the ban of motor vehicles on certain days.  Many have no other choice to commute to work and, in many cases, driving would save them a lot of time than using public transit.  The article states, "Warehouse worker Jean Sanglier lives in the eastern Paris suburbs of Chelles and drives to work in Neuilly-Plaisance, eight kilometers to the west.  'How will I get to work?' he said.  'It takes 20 minutes by road, and one and and a half hours on public transport.'  He added that if he is fined, 'it's my boss who's going to have to pay'" (online).  The fine for breaking the vehicle driving restrictions is by no means extravagant; 22 Euros will pay off a citation and many Parisians are choosing to incur the fine for the privilege of driving.  The article also mentioned a few exceptions to the rule, including "electric and hybrid cars, taxis, and cars with at least three people on board to encourage car-sharing.  But all trucks will be banned" (online).  The hanging smog that is polluting the air in Paris is the result of consecutive warm days and cold nights.  The pollution problem and the current response by the government is also expected to play a role in the upcoming municipal elections scheduled to be held next week on Sunday.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/16/parisians-driven-revolt-smog-car-ban

- Jack Mikolajczyk