Old vehicles to be banned from Paris

OLD vehicles will be banned from the centre of Paris from July 1, the city’s mayor has announced.

The ban applies to vehicles registered before 1997 and joins a ban on heavy polluting HGVs and coaches which came into force in July last year.

“There is a worry about public health and we can no longer give good reasons not to act,” said mayor Anne Hidalgo.

By 2021 only vehicles with the highest environmental ratings will be allowed on the capital’s streets.

The mayor said she was putting pressure on the RATP public transport network to increase the hours of operation of the Paris Metro.

While the goal would be to have a 24-hour service, she said she believed extending it by an hour each year and focusing on the automatic lines 1 and 14 were practical ways to improve the service.

Metro services in the centre currently shut down around 1am and restart around 5am.

The Paris authority also voted through plans to allow free parking for electric and hybrid vehicles in the city to encourage their use.

See also: Anger at Paris pollution plans

Photo:Bob Hall