France: Champs Élysées Avenue becomes pedestrian street

(Baonghean.vn) – The Paris government has just decided to turn the famous Champs Élysées Avenue into a pedestrian street one Sunday of every month starting in spring 2016.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has announced that the Champs-Élysées will be closed to traffic one Sunday a month to allow residents and tourists to admire the street, considered the most beautiful in the world. Details of the plan will be announced soon to police headquarters, organizations and other relevant parties.

"Car-free day" on the Champs Élysées on September 27, 2015. Photo: AFP

According to preliminary statistics, on social networks, nearly 10,000 Tweets and more than 20,000 Facebook accounts have expressed support for the capital government's plan.

It is known that the above measure was introduced after the first implementation of the “Car-free Day” initiative held on September 27, 2015 on the Champs Élysées, around the Eiffel Tower, Bois de Boulogne and Vincennes parks. This is considered one of the useful plans proposed by the Paris City Hall.

Thanks to the “Car-Free Day” initiative, on September 27, 2015 alone, the air quality monitoring association Airparif reported that NO2 levels fell by 20% to 40% compared to normal. Noise levels around the Ile de France area were also halved.

Ms. Anne Hidalgo also said that the city government is planning to ban vehicles from circulating around the right bank of the Seine River, between the Tuileries Bridge and the Henri IV Bridge, by the end of summer 2016. In addition, the scope of the second "Car-Free Day" plan, scheduled to be held in September 2016, will be expanded throughout Paris, not just limited to famous locations like the first time.

Chu Thanh

(According to Le Figaro)