-
GR, GRP, PR: What do the French hiking signs mean?
What are the coloured symbols on French hiking routes? Who paints them there and why?
-
Miss France: glam - but not sexy
Miss France organiser Geneviève de Fontenay fears she is fighting a losing battle to protect her 'Cinderella dream' from vulgarity
-
Normandy Landings visit for Queen
Queen Elizabeth has confirmed a state visit to France, ending rumours she is handing over duties to Charles
Smoking ban plan for Parisian park
Mayor Anne Hidalgo announces scheme to make lighting up illegal in a public park in the French capital
SMOKING will soon be banned in a public park in Paris, in line with government plans to make lighting up in public illegal.
If it proves popular, it may be rolled out across other public spaces in the capital.
The capital’s mayor Anne Hidalgo said on RTL’s Grand Jury programme last night that the ban would come into force in one park at the same time as a programme intended to educate smokers about the dangers of cigarettes is launched.
She said there was an environmental as well as health issue at stake. Every year, 350 tonnes of cigarette butts are collected from the streets of Paris.
Le Parisien has reported that the park is to in the city’s 14th arrondissement, where councillor Valérie Maupas, has already proposed a blanket ban on cigarettes.
Earlier this summer, health minister Marisol Touraine announced tough new anti-smoking measures, and plans are in place to make smoking e-cigarettes in certain public places.
Every year, 73,000 people die in France of smoking-related diseases, despite tax hikes that have pushed the price of even the cheapest pack of 20 up to about €7.