If the municipal opposition denounces a measure which will paralyze the center of Paris, both in its traffic and economically, Parisians for their part regret the lack of communication around this announcement.
Crossing Paris from north to south and east to west is almost over. The limited traffic zone (ZTL) will come into force on Monday November 4 in the center of Paris. Transit traffic will therefore now be prohibited there. An announcement made this Thursday, October 31 which did not fail to arouse municipal opposition and road users.
Parisians are generally not surprised by the measure, which is in line with Paris City Hall's desire to promote pedestrians and soft mobility. The surprise lies in the timing: a few days before the implementation of the ZTL, many are not aware and are surprised by the very short delay between the publication of the prefectural decree this Thursday and its entry into force four days later.
“In principle I am not against it, but it is the methodologies that need to be reviewed,” said Samuel at the microphone of BFM Paris Île-de-France.
“It’s dismaying to learn it now,” says Frédérique. “Even if we expected it a little because the mayor of Paris only wants to remove cars from the city.”
“Now, we also have to think about all the elderly people or those with children who cannot get around without a car,” notes the Parisian. “What do we do for these people?”
“I find that there is a lack of communication for the good life of Parisians,” finally criticizes Mohammed, a taxi driver.
A “logic of eviction of Parisians”
As for the Parisian opposition, things are stuck. For Changer Paris (Republicans, centrists and independents), the system chosen will undoubtedly be to the chagrin of Parisians, and is “the antithesis of the objective of an easier city to live in”.
“This ZTL comes in addition to the closure of bridges, the reversal of streets in their middle,” adds Aurélien Veron, Paris councilor and metropolitan elected to Paris Center (Changer Paris). “
He denounces an additional measure which helps to paralyze traffic in Paris. “Not just the 30% of Parisians who have cars, but the shops, the craftsmen, the companies.”
“The foreseeable consequences on trade are extremely worrying”, underlines the group in a press release, in particular for a central Paris sector “already weakened and devastated”.
In addition, the group denounces a “logic of eviction of Parisians by tourists”, with the preservation of the circulation of tourist buses retained in the ZTL for example. According to Changer Paris, the pedestrianization associated with the ZTL will primarily benefit tourists and not local residents.
Zero ecological impact according to the opposition
Finally, the opposition brushes aside the ecological argument. “The ecological impact of this ZTL will be zero,” assures Changer Paris. “Traffic postponements could reach up to 40% on certain axes, while the Environmental Authority specifies that the concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) would be in the same orders of magnitude, whether the project is carried out or not '”, write the elected officials.
The ZTL “poses the major risk of a soulless city center, stolen from Parisians and abandoned to tourists,” summarizes Changer Paris. “The icing on the cake which already has a very bad flavor for Parisians,” adds Aurélien Véron.
The limited traffic zone will extend from Place de la Bastille to Place de l'Opéra, and will concern the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th arrondissements of the capital. Taxis, PRMs, traders or even residents are not affected by the measure, which, according to Paris City Hall, will allow the reorganization of the sharing of public space by promoting soft mobility.
Ella Jelidi and Juliette Moreau Alvarez
