As part of a plan to reduce听high air pollution in听Paris, its mayor vowed on Wednesday to impose a total ban on听coaches and trucks by July 2015, and diesel by 2020, in the French capital.
The mayor of听Paris,听Anne Hidalgo, revealed the highlights of her听anti-pollution听plan that she will present on Feb. 9 to the Municipal Council of听Paris.
"Coaches and trucks will be banned in the city听from July 1st this year," Hidalgo told French daily Le Monde. "The most polluting cars will be banned by 2016."听
Hidalgo added that she听plans for a completely听diesel free听Paris听by 2020.
"I'm not here for negotiations when it comes to the health of听Parisians...听As they have already done in 200 European cities, we are going to introduce a听reduced-emission zone听where we will progressively forbid access to polluting vehicles - diesel vehicles mainly," she said.
She said that the particles from the vehicles had become a "major public health issue" and that she was prepared to take a hardline approach.听
Hidalgo said that the听Paris听municipality will also present other, cheaper alternatives such as reducing the price of public transport and providing financial support to those buying听electric vehicles.
In March 2014, the French capital and听other regions across the country听were under maximum pollution alert for several days.
For the first time in two decades,听thousands of drivers had to follow an alternate driving days procedure and the government offered free public transportation听as well as free parking听in order听to cut the听continuously high levels of air pollution.
Airparif,听a French watchdog听that monitors听air quality,听has warned in the past that residents of the French capital suffer from "chronically high levels"听of pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide and particulates.
By听Hajer M't谋r谋
Anadolu Agency
enerji@aa.com.tr
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