Soon supporting documents to drive in Paris? The future “peaceful zone” is divided
“We will have to show our credentials. If you have been shopping, you will have to show the receipt” slipped David Belliard (EELV), deputy mayor of Paris in charge of mobility, on the set of BFM Business, this Saturday, February 26. The elected official defended the “peaceful zone” that the town hall would like to create in the center of Paris in 2024. But his short sentence activated an outcry, especially on social networks.
Broadcast in Paris: 🚗
“In the peaceful zone, we will put random checks at the exit. We will have to prove that we had something to do there, with a receipt for example if we went shopping there”
🎙️ @David_Belliard Deputy Mayor of Paris pic.twitter.com/URe6k4MKys
— BFM Business (@bfmbusiness) March 1, 2022
This “peaceful zone” is a promise made by Anne Hidalgo, during the municipal campaign in 2020. It was remodeled and presented to the public in mid-February. In concrete terms, traffic would be prohibited for vehicles in “transit ” in the central arrondissements (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) and part of the left bank. Stated objective: reduce traffic in the center of Paris by half by reserving it for public transport, local residents and professional users (craftsmen, taxis, VTC, etc.).
The traffic ban therefore only concerned vehicles crossing the “peaceful zone” without stopping there. “Only 30% of forwarders absolutely need a car to make their journey. For the remaining 70%, the car is above all a convenience”justifies the town hall of Paris, on its website. According to the town hall, pushing them towards public transport could see the creation of a new public space, and reduce air pollution which kills 5,000 people a year in Paris according to the Lancet Planetary Health Journal.
Avoid arm wrestling
To enforce the ban, David Belliard specified on BFM Business only controls “random” would be led by the municipal police at the exit of this famous area. Motorists will be required to present proof of their presence in the area, under penalty of a fine. A measure that makes opponents jump. But is it legal? “We have to see how all this will be presented in terms of law, but it could generate significant litigation. The town hall of Paris will have to justify that the restriction is proportionate to the principle of freedom to come and go.explains Eric Landot, road traffic lawyer interviewed by Marianne.
READ ALSO : Presidential 2022: the six Parisian balls of Anne Hidalgo
This principle of “limited traffic zone” already exists in a city like Milan, and Nantes has adopted a similar system for part of its city center. It would still be relatively new in France, where communities have preferred to establish “low emission zones” where access is prohibited to the most polluting vehicles, and not to those who pass through.
To avoid the political and legal showdown of the pedestrianization of the banks of the previous mandate of Anne Hidalgo, the town hall of Paris is procrastinating. Initially scheduled to come into force in 2022, the measure has been postponed to 2024, i.e. before the Olympic Games. This year, an impact study must be carried out in the first semester, and at the start of the school year a public inquiry must allow users to give their point of view on the advisability of the project.
Reserves from the prefecture and merchants
Already, the project has provoked a negative reaction from the Paris police headquarters, which must also participate in it and give its approval. In a press release published on February 17, the prefect indicates “ strong reservations about the project as envisaged and not about the principle of one or more limited traffic zones in Paris which responds to legitimate environmental issues”. The prefect Didier Lallement points out the “risks creating difficulties for the movement of emergency and police services on the outskirts of the area and could also have a negative impact on the activity of the capital”.
READ ALSO: Motorists, bikers, low-income families: persona non grata of new city centers
That “quiet zone” worries in particular Parisian merchants and craftsmen. “Why make a big zone when we could create several small pedestrian zones? The other boroughs should recover all the traffic jams that this will cause”believes Thierry Véron, president of Facap (Federation of Associations of Tradesmen and Artisans of Paris), contacted by Marianne. “In addition, introducing it from 2024 seems premature to me. I think we have to be more pragmatic by settling the problems that this can cause on a case-by-case basis, especially for traders and craftsmen. We must all agree before setting a goal. Especially since the Olympic Games will completely disrupt traffic in Paris. Let’s see how it goes first and then advise”named Thierry Veron.
Mixed results of the pedestrianization of the banks
The results of the pedestrianization of the banks, the flagship measure of Anne Hidalgo’s first term, are mixed to say the least. In a report published at the end of 2017Airparif, the air quality monitoring body in the Île-de-France region, concludes that“no significant impact on the exposure of populations has been highlighted, either upwards or downwards”. Airparif noted well “improved air quality along quays closed to traffic”but also “a slight degradation around the crossroads in this area”, and above all a noticeable degradation on certain reporting routes.
An observation confirmed by a study of the Institute of Public Policy (IPP) in May 2021. Its relevant authors “a 15% increase in traffic congestion on the West-East lanes of the southern ring road, i.e. 2 additional minutes for a 10 km journey”. Clearly, the pollution would have been moved to the device. Problem : “the resident population likely to be affected by air degradation is about twice as large as the resident population who benefited from this closure”, relevant to this IPP report.
Social issues
“The whole problem with restricting an area to cars is that travel will be the same until there is a credible alternative for captive motorists. If we look at the figures, we see that these captives move from suburb to suburb and have no other choice at the moment.indicates to Marianne the economist Léa Bou Sleiman, who participated in the drafting of the IPP report. Conclusions which question the advisability of setting up this limited transit zone from 2024, while the construction site of Greater Paris, and its new metro lines, have fallen far behind schedule.
READ ALSO: Low Emission Zone in Paris: the poor thrown out
“There is also a social issue. It is necessary to see which population is targeted with this measure. Who benefits and who will suffer the effects? Especially when it comes to pollution”continues Léa Bou Sleiman, whose study questioned the advent of “greener centers and grayer suburbs”. So many issues that will have to be deducted head on in the impact study carried out by the town hall of Paris.