the Paris town hall draws an “encouraging” assessment, motorists not really convinced

Six weeks after the introduction of the speed limit of 50 km/h on the Paris ring road, the Paris town hall draws a positive assessment even if motorists are not convinced.

Since October 1, the Paris ring road has gone from a speed limit set at 70 km/h to 50 km/h. Six weeks later, many motorists still regret this decision.

A motorist would like a partial return to 70 km/h. “At night, 50 km/h is horrible. They can put speeds at night, go to 70 km/h, and 50 during the day,” he explains. “It was good before, but hey, we have to see what it will look like over time,” considers another.

“It’s encouraging”

For Paris town hall, the measure has already proven its worth. “If I had one word to remember, it means that it is encouraging. It means that this measure is respected and that it is having its first effects on the inhabitants who live near the ring road. In terms of pollution of air and noise pollution that we measure, we see a reduction”, assures David Belliard, deputy in particular in charge of mobility.

Although the consequences of lowering the speed on air quality have not yet been measured, the impact on noise was revealed by Bruitparif. “We have reductions, at night, which are of the order of two to three decibels less since the lowering of the speed,” notes Matthieu Sineau, head of the measurement laboratory within this organization.

According to a study by AirParif and the Parisian Mobility Observatory of the city of Paris, published by the town hall, from October 21 to 25, 2024 (school holiday period), -8% of accidents were recorded and -37 % of traffic jams. Between October 7 and 11 (excluding school holidays), the number of accidents fell by 51% and traffic jams by 4%.

In an interview given to AFP, Anne Hidalgo estimated that by 2030, it is “absolutely essential” to continue to reduce atmospheric pollution “which causes 2,500 deaths per year in Paris”. In this sense, she wishes to continue her “gentle revolution”. Since 2012, “pollution in Paris has fallen by 40% and this is completely correlated to the drop in traffic which is also 40%”, notes the councilor.