The speed limit increased to 50km/h on a first portion of the Paris ring road on October 1, 2024.
For many motorists, it doesn’t change much because of the traffic jams…
But can we already know what effects the measure will have on air pollution and noise?
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That’s it: this Tuesday, October 1, we enter the portion of the Paris ring road limited to 50 km/h. It’s 8:30 a.m., it’s rush hour and… we’re arriving in traffic. We are driving in slow motion. Our average speed is around 15 km/h and we have never exceeded 30.
Second observation: the old 70 signs rub shoulders with the new 50 signs, it’s difficult to find your way around. Good or bad signage, for many motorists, it doesn’t make much difference. “With the traffic jams, there wasn’t much choice, confides a motorist in the TF1 news report at the top of this article. I didn’t exceed 30 or 40 km/h maximum.”
Regarding air pollution, studies carried out a few years ago were inconclusive
Éric Champarnaud, automotive specialist at the consulting company specializing in data sciences C-Ways
But the ring road is not always blocked for those who use it. When it’s smooth, this drop in speed is annoying. “You have to anticipate journeys. You have to plan for extra time”sighs a driver. “Normally, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., it should be at 90 km/h,” bluntly estimates a driver.
We hit the road again. We are at the very end of the portion limited to 50 km/h. It rolls a bit. We stay at 50, but around us, things move faster. For the moment, no verbalization planned. The radars, managed by the police headquarters and not the town hall, have not yet been updated…
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Paris is far from being the only city in France to put its foot on the brake. No more 90 kilometers per hour on the ring roads of Lille, Nantes, Lyon and Toulouse. In Grenoble, some portions are even 50. Each time, the same arguments: lowering the speed would reduce pollution.
What is it really? For air pollution, it is difficult to prove: “It’s a speed range at which there doesn’t make much difference between 70 and 50 km/h. Studies were carried out a few years ago. They were not conclusive on this point,” notes Éric Champarnaud, automotive specialist at the consulting company specializing in data sciences C-Ways.
As for noise reduction, we did the test on a bridge by measuring the decibels. Yesterday, 80 db on average, today 80 too. According to the authorities, it is especially at night that local residents should notice a difference. This will be gradual until October 10, when the entire ring road will be limited to 50 km/h.
