Paris Olympics visitors will see a city moving away from cars to reduce air pollution

Changes designed to encourage people in Paris to take other forms of transportation have contributed to a 40% decline in air pollution, according to city officials.

The 15 million people expected to swarm Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics will visit a city far different than it was a decade ago.

That’s because a campaign to make Paris greener, primarily by reducing its dependence on cars, has transformed it into a shining example of what many environmental activists, city planners and transit advocates say ought to be the future of cities worldwide.

Paris has closed more than 100 streets to motor vehicles, tripled parking fees for SUVs, removed roughly 50,000 parking spots, and constructed more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) of bike lanes since Mayor Anne Hidalgo took office in 2014.

Those changes have contributed to a 40% decline in air pollution, according to city officials.

“How did we achieve this?” Hidalgo said in a statement in March. “By assuming a major and radical rupture: the end of car-dependence.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/paris-olympics-city-reduce-air-pollution-rcna153470

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