The maximum speed on the entire Paris ring road officially increased to 50 kilometers per hour (km/h) on Thursday, October 10. A decision made by the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo (Socialist Party), in the name of health and road safety, but strongly questioned by the right.
The last signs that would put an end to the 70 km/h limit, in force for ten years, would be installed during the night from Wednesday to Thursday throughout the 35 kilometer ring that surrounds the capital. This new regulation began on 1Ahem October on a section of the ring road, between the Porte des Lilas (Northeast) and the Porte d’Orléans (South). In total, 160 signs were changed to indicate passing at 50 km/h, instead of 70 km/h.
Objective proposed by the Paris City Council, owner of the road: reduce inconvenience for the 550,000 inhabitants on both sides of the urban highway. “When you reduce speed, you reduce noise for all the people who live near this ring road. We are going to give them more quality of life and above all more quality of night. The right to sleep is extremely important”declared on 1Ahem October, David Belliard, deputy mayor in charge of transport (ecologist).
The Ile-de-France noise observatory, Bruitparif, expects a gain of 2 to 3 decibels “not inconsiderable” for people exposed to discomfort beyond regulatory values. The reduction in speed also aims to reduce serious accidents on this axis that hosts more than one million daily trips, argues the City Council.
The beneficial effect on air pollution is more debated, although some experts advocate limiting the acceleration and braking phases (stop and go) to reduce brake dust that emits toxic fine particles. With an estimated average daytime speed of 37 km/h, the new limitation should only have a significant impact at odd hours.
Launch of a “peripheral barometer”
“It almost only affects night workers and early risers”forced to take the ring road to go from one suburb to another, deplored the president of the Ile-de-France Valérie region, Valérie Pécresse (LR), who denounces a measure “socially unfair”such as Ile-de-France entrepreneurs (SMEs, artisans, road transport, hotels and restaurants, etc.).
The regional president announced the creation of a “Barometer of the ring road to offer Parisians all the data on pollution, noise, congestion and vehicle speed from October”.
Will not take legal action as the speed drop is “exclusive jurisdiction of the Paris City Council”recognized, like the new Minister of Transport, François Durovray (Les Républicains), also president of the departmental council of Essonne, also opposed to the new limitation.
The minister and Anne Hidalgo agreed that an analysis “continuous and independent” The speed reduction would be carried out, with an evaluation in one year. “If the results are negative and the mayor of Paris does not draw conclusions, the minister reserves the right to modify the law so that this issue is not the exclusive responsibility of the mayor.”warns the ministry.
