MIxed response to car ban in France, Italy, Geneva
Date: 23-Sep-99
Country: FRANCE
Author: Lee Yanowitch
More than 150 cities from Paris to Palermo defied the wrath of their
car-crazy inhabitants by banning cars from town centres for the day,
with European Union Commissioners in Brussels throwing their weight
behind the anti-pollution drive. The normally fume-filled, horn-blaring
streets of central Paris were quiet and empty - and the Metro was packed
- as residents found alternative ways of getting to work.
"It's relaxing not to have all that noise hurting your ears all day
long," said Jean-Claude, a waiter in Paris's garment district.
Government ministers entered into the spirit of the ban, shrugging off a
light drizzle to cycle or walk to their weekly cabinet meeting. Some
still drove - but only electrically powered cars which were immune from
the ban.
Rome was a different story. Two main shopping streets and the area
around the Coliseum were closed to traffic. But in between, the central
Piazza Venezia square - a mad whirligig of traffic at the best of times
- was open to cars. Traffic was as chaotic as usual in much of the city.
"It's a terrorist act because nothing works here," shopkeeper Sandro
Pirri told Reuters Television. "Look at these buses, can they take all
these people?"
Buses and the tourist favourite - pony and traps - were free on
Wednesday in Rome. Naples, Turin, Palermo, Genoa and Florence were also
banning cars from some of their streets.
The Environment Ministry said the initiative had halved traffic in
Naples. In Marsala in Sicily, bicycles were provided free to convince
commuters to ditch their cars.
Geneva, the western Swiss city jutting into France, and five nearby
towns also took part in the exercise, making bus services free for the
day. Police said traffic was down considerbly.
EUROPE'S PRODI GETS ON HIS BIKE
It was Italy's first "car-free" day and an impressive 99 towns and
cities signed up to the scheme. For France, it was the second national
"carless city day", with 66 municipalities taking part compared to only
34 last year.
Paris closed about 250 streets in its centre - between Concorde in the
west and Bastille in the east, Boulevard St Germain to the south and the
Grand Boulevards to the north - and police reported a clear drop in
traffic.
"It's just to give people a clear conscience, but it's not enough," said
a man cycling to work in Paris.
In Brussels, where there was no ban in effect, European Commission
president Romano Prodi and Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom
cycled to work.
"I like biking. This isn't just showing off today," Wallstrom told
reporters at the launch of the "On your bike for a greener Europe"
campaign.
But, as cars swarmed past them, there was little sign that the citizens
of Brussels had taken on board the idea of car-free days, launched by
French Environment Minister Dominique Voynet.
"The idea is not to punish drivers but to make them think. Most car
trips in the city are less than 3-km long. Is it really worth it to take
a car when it means being stuck in traffic?" Voynet told the daily Le
Parisien in an interview.
A ministry poll said 64 percent of French people felt traffic levels had
become unbearable. A separate survey by the French Federation of
Automobile Clubs said that 68 percent would be unhappy if traffic was
banned in their neighbourhood.
Many Paris shopkeepers seemed very unhappy, fearing that the car ban
would push their sales down.
"It's completely idiotic. On TV, it looks good. But for us, it means
fewer sales while our costs remain the same," fumed a fabric merchant.
