Parisians voted to more than double the number of pedestrianised streets in the city on Sunday, fuelling ongoing efforts to reduce car traffic and improve the urban environment in France’s capital, reports Reuters.
The referendum will pedestrianise a further 500 streets – adding to the 300 streets returned to human-scale infrastructure and greenspace since 2020 – and remove 10,000 parking spots, doubling the total removed since 2020. An average of 500,000 euros (US$540,000) will be allocated per street and locals will be consulted this spring to determine which streets are most suitable for the project, with a goal of 5–8 streets per neighbourhood.
Two-thirds of participating voters approved the measure, an approval margin that suggests some Parisians want “more pedestrian streets, fewer cars, more nature in the city,” Cristophe Najdovski, Paris commissioner for green spaces and greening, told Reuters.
The measure was spearheaded by Paris’ Socialist mayor, Anne Hidalgo, whose second and final term ends in 2026. Under her leadership, the city has significantly increased its cycling infrastructure, creating more than 1,000 kilometres of bike lanes and overseeing a significant rise in cycling. Bikes now account for more than 11 percent of trips within Paris, trailing behind walking (53 percent) and public transport (30 percent) but well ahead of cars (4 percent), according to a 2024 study.
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However, while the vote was won by a comfortable majority, only 4.06 percent of eligible voters turned out for the consultation, which was organised by the municipality. This marks the third such referendum in as many years, following a 2023 ban on e-scooters and a tripling of parking fees for large SUVs in 2024. Neither vote involved more than 10 percent of eligible voters, outraging many motorists.
Motorist lobby group 40 Million d’Automobilistes called the higher fees on SUVs an “[attack] on freedom pursued under false green pretexts” and warned Reuters that “this unjustified rebellion led by an ultra-urban and anti-car minority will spread like gangrene to other cities.”
Nonetheless, the socialists remain defiant. Rêmi Fêraud, a Socialist senator and Hidalgo’s preferred successor, is clear that the future of Paris isn’t car-free.
“But by reducing space for the car, we reserve it for those who really need to come by car,” he told the BBC last month. “We want a city that is 100% cyclable… It is an offer of freedom.”
