Driving ban on half Paris motorists after air pollution briefly tops Shanghai

Even-numbered number plates were told to stay off Paris roads and public transport is free on Monday in bid to cut harmful smog

Henry Samuel - TELEGRAPH - March 23, 2015



Paris on Monday imposed a partial driving ban and made public transport free in an attempt to cut noxious smog, after pollution levels briefly surpassed that of Shanghai last week.



Authorities announced that all cars with plates ending in even numbers must stay off the roads on Monday, after days of political wrangling over how to tackle the high amount of harmful particles shrouding Paris.



Anne Hidalgo, the Socialist mayor, had wanted to impose the ban last week after lack of wind or rain and cold nights helped push up pollution levels.



According to Plume Labs, Paris for a few hours last week hit 127 in its air pollution index chart of 60 cities, with Shanghai in second place on 106 and London on 91.



However, the government of fellow Socialists refused, reportedly so as not to annoy suburban voters ahead of Sunday’s local elections. ... [Read More]

Driving ban on half Paris motorists after air pollution briefly tops Shanghai