In 2016, the City of Paris decided to close a section of the “Georges-Pompidou” riverside road completely to motor vehicle traffic. This note describes the effects of this decision on traffic conditions on the ring road. The closure of the riverside road has increased vehicle occupancy rates, the likelihood of congestion and journey times on eastbound lanes, particularly on the southern ring road. As the areas surrounding the ring road are more densely populated than those along the banks of the Seine, it is possible that the net effect of this closure on the number of residents exposed to higher levels of air pollution has been negative.
Greener city centres, greyer suburbs?
This report analyses the impact of the closure of the riverside roads (the Georges-Pompidou road), implemented in September 2016 by the Paris City Council, on car traffic and air quality on the outskirts of the capital.
Reference IPP Policy Brief No. 65
Presentation
Key Results
- The closure of the riverside lane has led to a 15 per cent increase in congestion on the west-east carriageways of the southern ring road, adding 2 minutes to a 10 km journey.
- Due to higher population densities around the ring road, the resident population potentially affected by deteriorating air quality is approximately twice as large as the resident population that has benefited from this closure.
- These short-term effects raise questions about the Paris metropolitan area’s dependence on cars and the adequacy of environmental policy governance.
Patricia Crifo
Benoît Schmutz
Léa Bou Sleiman
Partners
The authors would like to thank the Investissements d’avenir programme (ANR-11-IDEX-0003/Labex Ecodec/ANR-11-LABX-0047) for its support and the City of Paris for providing the traffic data.