Paris mayor proposes limiting vehicle use to control pollution

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo on Thursday called on the ruling Socialists to urgently agree to limiting the use of vehicles in the French capital and its suburbs on Friday after air pollution reached high levels, posing a threat to public health.

"Given the exceptional duration of a peak in pollution," Hidalgo asked national authorities "to take emergency measures on Friday, including alternating traffic."

In order to curb alarming spikes in air pollution, she pledged to make all public transport free for a day and called on Parisians to use Velib and Autolib, public sharing services for bicycles and electric cars.

Furthermore, officials recommended reducing driving speeds and avoiding intense physical activity outdoors as well as outdoor walks with children.

The Airparif Association, an environmental body responsible for monitoring air quality, expects the pollution index to be up to 80 micrograms per cubic meter (mcg/m3) due to increased amounts of the pollutant PM10.

The safe limit for PM10 is set at 80 mcg/m3, according to the association.

The increase in pollution level was caused by searing temperatures, heating up traffic and industrial pollutants and the hot air re-circulating slowly across densely populated northern France and the capital. Enditem