-
PHOTOS: Olympic Flame to travel to France on beautiful historic ship
The 127-year-old ship sets sail on Saturday with ‘the most important passenger it has ever carried’
-
Phone scams, gardening, insurance claims: 5 French practical updates
Our roundup of recent practical articles you may have missed
-
Picnic in Paris? Chance to join huge meal on Champs-Elysees
The event could even be record-breaking. You can now apply for your chance to take part
New traffic radar monitors car pollution in Paris
Device collects real-time information on pollution levels from vehicle exhausts
![](https://image.connexionfrance.com/100649.webp?imageId=100649&width=960&height=646&format=jpg)
A new kind of traffic monitor has appeared on the streets of Paris - but this one monitors pollution levels rather than driver behaviour.
The device, at the top of boulevard Diderot, near Place de la Nation in the 12th arrondissement, is equipped with a laser that measures levels of exhaust fumes in real-time.
The laser performs 20,000 scans per second, and the results - showing levels of nitrogen oxides, fine particulates, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons - appear almost simultaneously on a computer,
City officials said it is an anonymous data collection tool that will allow them to more accurately study pollution levels.
Tests of the radar in other European countries reveal that diesel emission standards have been significantly exceeded.
Stay informed:
Sign up to our free weekly e-newsletter
Subscribe to access all our online articles and receive our printed monthly newspaper The Connexion at your home. News analysis, features and practical help for English-speakers in France