Imagine a city without cars. Well, that’s precisely what will happen in Paris on September 25, 2016, from 11am to 6pm, as the City of Light will be completely free of traffic on that day. Aptly named “La Journee Sans Voiture,” which means “a day without cars,” the event is meant to highlight the issue of pollution within the city.
Compared to the 2015 event, where only 11 of the city’s 20 arrondissements (districts) were closed, this year will see no one be allowed to drive a motorised vehicle through Paris. This includes electric cars, plus two and three-wheeled vehicles that are self-propelled. Emergency services such as ambulances and police vehicles however, are exempted for obvious reasons.
The move will allow Parisians and visitors alike to experience the city without car pollution, noise and customary traffic jams. City Hall announced that, “after the success of the Car Free Day last year, (officials) are renewing the event, expanding the scope to multiply by five the controlled sector in central Paris.”
“By repeating the occasion, the city government expects to increase citizens’ awareness of the need to limit the use of cars and to show other big cities that they can and must develop concrete measures to fight against traffic-related air pollution,” it continued. The car-free dayd is the initiative of the independent NGO Paris Sans Voiture, Collectif Citoyen.
Other more “practical” measures to combat pollution in the city include banning vehicles made before 1997, heavy polluting vehicles such as buses, coaches and heavy transport registered before 2001 from its streets, as well as motorcycles made before 1999, from plying city roads from Monday to Friday.
Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? Do you think such an event will be welcomed here in Malaysia?
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Our country’s biggest problem is the cities are never designed to be pedestrian-friendly…
A bit of correction, La Journée in french for this context i’d say should read as “A day” instead of “A trip”.
This is an example of what we often call it as “faux amis” – false friend.
Words that are pretty similar, but have different meanings.
Ah, thank you for the French lesson :)
Do some research before writing la, bodoh
Pls don’t pretend u know french!
It’s like Earth Day where you stupidly switch off your lights for an hour; you do it and nothing significant ever happens.
It does sound interesting but impractical. Paris has one of the most comprehensive Metro in the world, and virtually covered all places, like in London or New York. Plus it is common for people to ride bicycle in cities in Europe (because weather is so nice). Just look at Amsterdam or Vienna.
KL? Weather is either too hot or raining. Forget about it.
It could get a little too hot during summer. It was just last week we had heat wave the whole week where temperature rose to 37˚C.
Pollution an issue in Paris? Not terrorism?
This initiaves can be done in KL only if the authorities, organisers and the citizens cooperate together with the right mind and attitude of a first class mentality.
Will not work in KL. Too many bosses and datuks who want to be chauffeured right up to the doorstep of their office, hotels and shopping malls. Then their drivers will not go into the parking area but wait by the roadside blocking traffic and making a nuisance of themselves. In the meantime the traffic police turns a blind eye. The bosses never even take the LRT what more ride a bike.
i think first they need to fix that permanent urine smell
bicyle in malaysia no aircond how to implement successfully? think malaysian stupid meh..
They’ll better fix their snatch theif/pick pockets issue before I’ll even consider visiting this country. I’ve still the fear stuck in my mind on the time i almost got my pocket picked in Rome. I heard it’s much worse in Paris