Paris – The grand avenues of Paris, normally teeming with traffic, went quiet on Sunday as strolling pedestrians replaced honking cars and buzzing scooters.
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Hugh Schofield strolled along the Champs-Elysees to see what local people think of the ban.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said she would have liked cars to be silenced across the whole city.
The Paris event is not a first in Europe.
Mayors from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Brussels and Bristol were in Paris for the kick-off on the Champs-Elysees Avenue. Those who hit the road anyway must observe a 20 kilometer-per-hour (12.5 mph) speed limit.
“It’s very pleasurable”, Randy, an American tourist, told AFP.
While carmakers argue that diesel vehicles account for only a fraction of the pollutants in the air, experts retort that health risks are far greater because cities are where most cars are to be found and where most people live and breathe.
“If we want a city that is clean, lovely and green…” When the Eiffel Tower disappeared in smog last March, the city offered free rides on subways and buses and imposed a partial driving ban.
Private cars with petrol or diesel engines have been banned from many parts of central Paris on Sunday in an attempt to convince residents they could reduce pollution and congestion by living without them.
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The restrictions allowed drivers to take to the road every other day and were enforced by hundreds of police officers writing citations carrying a fine of 22 euros ($25) to those who defied the rules.
