Paris
The historic center of Paris will be closed to outside vehicles by 2012, under a plan announced this week by Mayor Bertrand Delanoe. Residents of the four central arrondissements, or districts—an area that includes the Louvre, the Paris Opera, and Notre Dame—will be allowed to keep their cars. All other vehicles, except buses and ambulances, will be banned. Most Paris residents support the plan, but local business owners and the car lobby are strongly opposed. Christian Gérondeau, president of the Auto Club, said banning cars would “make Paris a ghetto, cutting it off from the suburbs.” The plan must be approved by the city council, and could be canceled if Delanoe fails to get re-elected in 2007.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Brazil has a scorpion problemUnder The Radar Venomous arachnids are infesting country's fast-growing cities
-
Why Rikers Island will no longer be under New York City's controlThe Explainer A 'remediation manager' has been appointed to run the infamous jail
-
California may pull health care from eligible undocumented migrantsIN THE SPOTLIGHT After pushing for universal health care for all Californians regardless of immigration status, Gov. Gavin Newsom's latest budget proposal backs away from a key campaign promise
