fuzzbucket

Le Parisien and the Mayor's Office have decreed that Sunday 1 October 2017, will be a car free day, from the hours of 11 AM to 6 PM.

The whole area of Paris is affected - except for the 16th arrondissement.
http://www.leparisien.fr/paris-75005...17-7071687.php

Buses and taxis will run at 30 /km per hour. So I would advise leaving more time to get to airports and train stations.

You can take a taxi to your hotel, but should have a "justification de domicile" (where you live) for proof.

Metro is unaffected.

OpenBus and BigBus will run at 30/km per hour, and will run their regular routes.

If you want to return a rental car, you have to return it before 11 AM or after 6 PM.

Police, ambulances and firemen are not affected.

If you are transporting a handicapped person, you should have a "justification de domicile" for proof.

If you have a plumbing or other emergency, the technicien can visit you.

The open-air markets will be open as usual, their deliveries have already taken place.


Motorcycles and cars are not allowed.
Electric cars are not allowed.

Here are your options:
Walk
Take mass transportation
Electrically-assisted bicycles are allowed
Velib'
Roller skate
Trottinette

Good luck - and hope it's a nice day...

massimop

Maybe your worst nightmare if you don't have breathing problems, allergies, a baby, aren't elderly or don't appreciate clean air and quiet, but having been in polluted Paris, I can imagine how popular this is with residents and visitors alike.

vincenzo32951

7 hours w/o cars will have a real effect on that?

Macross

I would love a day in Paris like that.

marvelousmouse

I would love that too! Cars produce a lot of noise pollution, even if seven hours doesn't make much of an impact on the air pollution.

vincenzo32951

Well, let's concede that a day w/o cars would be favored by most city dwellers.

Belinda

It doesn't sound terrible. I think the biggest noise makers in Paris are the police (and other emergency vehicles) and motos. 7 hours are easy enough to plan around.

Whathello

I remember driving during a car day free in Bruxelles (we do it 2 before paris - always a step ahead) and people would sometimes glanced at me with murderous eyes. I suppose I should have put the wheelchair on top of the roof to appease e these guys who can't think further than their noses.

nukesafe

We will be in Paris on the 1st, and I am looking forward to the experience. I have difficulties with the steps in the Metro, so will rely on buses and taxis, which I assume will be slammed. Do you know if the buses will be running their usual Sunday schedule, or if it will be augmented?

Christina

Why would that be a tourist's worst nightmare? Let's hope they aren't driving cars around Paris, and the speed limit isn't that big a deal, as I think 30 KPH as the speed limit already in Paris on most streets in the 1st-4th arr. Sometimes you can't even go faster than 30 km per hr, anyway, in bad traffic, even if you wanted to. besides, even if it were 50 KPH on the streets you wanted to take and you could go that fast, going 3-4 km to a train station wouldn't change your time that much.

I'd be thrilled to have a day in Paris without those obnoxious loud motor scooters, I'm surprised they haven't done something to ban those for noise reasons or make the manufacturers do something to make them quieter.

StCirq

Sounds like a nice respite from the usual chaos to me, although if needing to get to or from the airport or taking any long taxi drives it might be a pain.

mr_go

<i>Sounds like a nice respite</i>

My thought as well.

marvelousmouse

I suppose some people just flat out don't take public transit wherever they are, Christina. I've a few relatives like that. It's either rent a car or shell out for taxis with them. We've had that argument in Boston, where driving is not fun. But it turns out forcing them onto transit is much worse.

And certainly walking and transit is not very easy if you are traveling with someone who is limited mobility. Which is why there are allowances made by the city such as in the case of Whathello.

Macross

nukesafe, you probably know this already but we enjoyed a first Sunday last visit.

https://myparisianlife.com/2015/02/0...days-in-paris/

nukesafe

Thank you for that list, Macross. I am copying the link, as it gives me ideas about some of the lesser known museums I want to visit. Unfortunately we will not arrive at Gare du Nord from Aachen until about 20:00 on Sunday, October 1st. By the time we get a carnet, recharge our Navigos, travel out to the 11th to check into our apartment I'm afraid we will only have time for a quick bite at a local bistro before crashing for the night.

fuzzbucket

nukesafe - the buses will run at 30/km per hour, as will taxis.
No Sunday hours.

I can think of all kinds of tourists to whom this would be a nightmare.
Normally, people who aren't used to mass transportation will probably have to hoof it - and probably won't be prepared for doing that.
Or take taxis.
Not to mention the elderly and infirm...who must have proof of domicile.

I like a little peace and quiet, but I think the Mayor has gone too far in her quest for the non-pollution of Paris.

Belinda

It's seven hours! Seriously, unless you have a departure time (take a taxi) or a medical emergency, it would be very easy to focus on the area around your domicile for those 7 hours if you don't want to get on the metro, ride a bus, walk or take cab.

Hardly a nightmare.

NewbE

It's a publicity stunt, but if it makes people think twice about their daily transportation choices and allows them to enjoy some novel peace and quiet in the city centre, it will be worth the hassle.

KTtravel

My worst nightmare? No, it sounds quite pleasant. My worst nightmare would be to be in Puerto Rico or Mexico city right now.

DonTopaz

As luck would have it, I'll be a tourist (an elderly one, at that) in Paris on 1 Oct. Looking forward to walking over to the Bastille market. Not having so many cars on the street sounds pretty appealing.