Maybe your worst nighmare...
Sep 20th, 2017, 11:53 AM
#22
I am delighted by just about anything that disrupts my routine.
Of course, this event will not, since I have never owned an automobile and rarely use one.
I must admit that I was recently in a Facebook quarrel with somebody who posted a photo of empty bike lanes in Paris next to clogged car lanes as though it proved that more room should be given to cars. In fact, the bike lanes had just been built and were not open yet.
Of course, this event will not, since I have never owned an automobile and rarely use one.
I must admit that I was recently in a Facebook quarrel with somebody who posted a photo of empty bike lanes in Paris next to clogged car lanes as though it proved that more room should be given to cars. In fact, the bike lanes had just been built and were not open yet.
Sep 21st, 2017, 08:46 AM
#24
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One Sunday per month doesn't inspire me to think any way at all about pollution.
It's here, and most of us have to deal with it.
One whole month - well, now we're talking...
Most of the bike lanes do not connect, anyway.
If she were really serious, Mayor Hidalgo would outlaw cars altogether.
Believe me...it's coming soon.
It's here, and most of us have to deal with it.
One whole month - well, now we're talking...
Most of the bike lanes do not connect, anyway.
If she were really serious, Mayor Hidalgo would outlaw cars altogether.
Believe me...it's coming soon.
Sep 21st, 2017, 10:12 AM
#25
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Combustion engine cars, anyway. Electric/battery operated cars are on the verge of a revolution in their ability to hold a charge and therefore enable long distance driving. The problem, of course, will still be congestion, but air quality will be much improved and sound pollution drastically decreased.
Sep 21st, 2017, 11:19 PM
#27
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She's a politician building a constituency. if more voters like Paris without cars than voters like it with cars, they will support efforts to further limit or eliminate motor traffic in the city.
That said, my observation of Ms Hidalgo is that she is cautious & very very mindful of the wealthiest in the city, who influence her actions beyond their mere one vote.
That said, my observation of Ms Hidalgo is that she is cautious & very very mindful of the wealthiest in the city, who influence her actions beyond their mere one vote.
Sep 22nd, 2017, 03:08 AM
#29
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Sep 22nd, 2017, 11:25 PM
#31
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That article is really interesting. How much influence do suburbanites have? I mean, they haven't got votes, but since there is so much discussion about affordable housing in Paris on this board (the evils of airbnb), I would also assume that the suburbanites are the less affluent employees. So in a sense, they have influence through their employers who are wealthier and would presumably be inconvenienced by a car ban. How good is transit In the suburbs of Paris? I didn't take many trains in France, so didn't get a good feel for the transit links. How much would the transit system have to be enhanced if they took cars off the road? I know that fuzzbucket said most Parisians don't own cars, but most is not all, and even the folks that don't own cars probably use uber or taxis or car services relatively frequently.
I don't think electric cars would gain traction in this case. Pollution is just one motivation for such a car ban. Electric cars still mean noise, congestion, parking issues, accidents.
I don't think electric cars would gain traction in this case. Pollution is just one motivation for such a car ban. Electric cars still mean noise, congestion, parking issues, accidents.
Sep 23rd, 2017, 12:13 AM
#32
France is #1 in Europe for the sale of electric cars. The government has a goal to end the sale of vehicles using internal combustion engines in 2040.
Regarding suburbanites, it is mostly the richer suburbanites west of Paris that have been screaming about the anti-vehicle measures in the city. The poor suburbanites having been using public transportation for as long as it has existed, even when it is inconvenient.
Presently, the greater Paris transit authority is building 205 kilometers of new metro lines with 68 new stations, almost totally in the suburbs. They will nearly entirely be underground and most of the project will have been completed in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Paris_Express
Regarding suburbanites, it is mostly the richer suburbanites west of Paris that have been screaming about the anti-vehicle measures in the city. The poor suburbanites having been using public transportation for as long as it has existed, even when it is inconvenient.
Presently, the greater Paris transit authority is building 205 kilometers of new metro lines with 68 new stations, almost totally in the suburbs. They will nearly entirely be underground and most of the project will have been completed in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Paris_Express
Sep 23rd, 2017, 01:05 AM
#33
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electric cars are so quiet, government agencies have mandated they have noise features added to them to alert pedestrians. If you have ever been to Amsterdam and experienced the dangers of their quiet electric trams, you know the problem.
It's very hard to do planning right now regarding cars, since there is a lot of appeal in embracing not only driverless cars, but shared-cars rather than private ownership (let's turn that garage into an airbnb rental!!!)
Throughout the world, politicians have been complicit in supporting the needs of the auto & oil industries, to what I judge to be catastrophic results when you look at the human costs in war, terrorism, the compromising of health because of pollution, & climate change.
I wish Ms Hidalgo all good luck in taking a step in a different direction.
It's very hard to do planning right now regarding cars, since there is a lot of appeal in embracing not only driverless cars, but shared-cars rather than private ownership (let's turn that garage into an airbnb rental!!!)
Throughout the world, politicians have been complicit in supporting the needs of the auto & oil industries, to what I judge to be catastrophic results when you look at the human costs in war, terrorism, the compromising of health because of pollution, & climate change.
I wish Ms Hidalgo all good luck in taking a step in a different direction.
Sep 23rd, 2017, 01:43 AM
#34
Only 39% of Parisian households own a car.
This municipal link has some interesting information: https://www.paris.fr/actualites/a-pa...-vehicule-3876
Meanwhile, people can receive up to 10,000 euros for buying an electric car: up to 6300€ for the purchase (as long as it represents no more than 27% of the total cost) and an additional 3700€ if they are replacing a diesel car.
You receive between 750€ and 3500€ for the purchase of a hybrid car, depending on its carbon emissions. And in 130 municipalities of the Paris metropolitan area, you can receive 5000€ if you buy a new electric or hybrid car and turn in a car that is more than 20 years old for destruction.
So it's not just a matter of banning cars in Paris, but changing the way the entire region lives.
This municipal link has some interesting information: https://www.paris.fr/actualites/a-pa...-vehicule-3876
Meanwhile, people can receive up to 10,000 euros for buying an electric car: up to 6300€ for the purchase (as long as it represents no more than 27% of the total cost) and an additional 3700€ if they are replacing a diesel car.
You receive between 750€ and 3500€ for the purchase of a hybrid car, depending on its carbon emissions. And in 130 municipalities of the Paris metropolitan area, you can receive 5000€ if you buy a new electric or hybrid car and turn in a car that is more than 20 years old for destruction.
So it's not just a matter of banning cars in Paris, but changing the way the entire region lives.
Sep 23rd, 2017, 12:16 PM
#37
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When I worked in NYC my employer gave rebates/subsidies for using public transit. Maybe your city has a program, or maybe their political activists who are working on it whom you could join & support.
Sep 23rd, 2017, 02:30 PM
#38
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Looked into it already, massimop, and I can't really complain- there is a program encouraging the use of transit, the trouble is that I've an elderly dog I like to check on during my lunch hour, and where I live now involves too many connections via bus. The program is not generous enough to warrant moving. The dog is pretty much the only reason I have a car at all, really. That, and Amtrak is basically useless. Oh, to live in a country with a functioning rail system!
Just a different culture. You don't need a car if you live in the city, but most people have cars anyway because of outdoor recreation or because they have relatives who are not easy to visit without a car. I was curious about the French rail system and car ownership because it is seriously difficult to reach most of the rural west via transit. Europe seems much easier to navigate but there are places that seem to require a car, and I was wondering if rural France was one of those places.
Just a different culture. You don't need a car if you live in the city, but most people have cars anyway because of outdoor recreation or because they have relatives who are not easy to visit without a car. I was curious about the French rail system and car ownership because it is seriously difficult to reach most of the rural west via transit. Europe seems much easier to navigate but there are places that seem to require a car, and I was wondering if rural France was one of those places.
Sep 23rd, 2017, 07:44 PM
#39
Well, a lot of rail lines have been abandoned in rural France, but bus services have replaced them. They are rarely convenient for tourists because often they only operate at commuter hours, such as one early bus in the morning, one around 13:00 and a final one around 18:00. Obviously some areas have better service depending on whether they are directly between two more important towns.
