- Title: Paris pollution peaks again as city hall takes action
- Date: 29th December 2016
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 29, 2016) (REUTERS) EIFFEL TOWER VISIBLE THROUGH FOG OVER CITY SKYLINE SUN VISIBLE THROUGH FOG FOG OVER CITY CHIMNEYS SMOKING VARIOUS OF "LES INVALIDES" MONUMENT VARIOUS OF TRAFFIC IN STREET VARIOUS OF EXHAUST PIPES FERRIS WHEEL AT END OF CHAMPS ELYSEES TRAFFIC LIGHTS CHANGING PEDESTRIANS IN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (French) FORMER PARIS RESIDENT NOW LIVING IN MARSEILLE, VALENTINE LAFORET, SAYING: "Yes I heard about it on the radio this morning (the pollution levels). Can I feel it? Yes because when I got here two or three days ago from Marseille, I had a funny feeling. I'm from Paris originally and Paris didn't smell the same." PEDESTRIANS IN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (French) BUSINESS STUDENT LIVING IN PARIS, VINCENT LOUBINOX, SAYING: "I think that promoting public transport when there are high pollution levels is a very good idea because even if the results are not good enough, what we've seen in the past with the fall in pollution levels is it's not necessarily good enough, but it sends a strong signal to the population that we need to fight pollution more generally." TAXI LIGHT ON ROOF OF TAXI TAXI (SOUNDBITE) (French) TAXI DRIVER, M CHERY, SAYING: "There isn't a lot of traffic, lots of people are on holiday. I've noticed that the road is freer. I'd like to be driving about with customers but unfortunately there aren't any customers so I'm stuck at the taxi rank." CITY SKYLINE CARS IN STREET VARIOUS OF SKYLINE SUN THROUGH CLOUD
- Embargoed: 13th January 2017 12:10
- Keywords: Paris pollution levels health parking cars
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Pollution,Environment
- Reuters ID: LVA0015EXRZ9J
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Paris pollution levels hit a high again on Thursday (December 29) as the city offered free residential parking to those abandoning their cars, after a month marked by some of the worst air pollution in a decade.
With dangerous levels of atmospheric particle pollution (PM10), the police issued recommendations to take public transport, share cars and drive slowly to try and cut emissions.
Earlier in the month, the authorities imposed driving restrictions based on number plates, barring cars with registration numbers ending in odd or even numbers on alternate days. No such restrictions have been imposed for the latest episode.
Valentine Laforet is from Paris originally but now lives in Marseille and she said the atmosphere in the city was different.
"When I got here two or three days ago from Marseille, I had a funny feeling. I'm from Paris originally and Paris didn't smell the same," she said.
Business student Vincent Loubinox who does not drive said he supported the authorities' promotion of public transport as an alternative to cars.
The high levels were expected to last into Friday.
From mid-January, Paris will become the first French city to launch the new "Crit'Air" vignette system that will require all cars to have a colour-coded sticker indicating their age and pollution level as the authorities move to ban cars with the highest emissions from the city centre.
Mayor Anne Hidalgo is on a drive to reduce car traffic. She has increased the cost of parking meters, banned free parking on Saturdays and the August holiday period, and is turning a highway on both banks of the Seine into a riverside park. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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