Paris residents to vote on making 500 more streets pedestrian

24/3/2025 13:11

Parisians voted in a referendum on Sunday to pedestrianise a further 500 of the city's streets, giving fresh momentum to efforts by the French capital's left-leaning town hall to curb car usage and improve air quality.



Some 65.96% of Parisians voted in favour of the measure, while 34.04% rejected it, official results showed. Only 4.06% of voters turned out in the consultation, which was organised by the municipality.



This was the third such referendum in Paris in as many years, following a 2023 vote that approved a ban on e-scooters, and a decision last year to triple parking charges for large SUVs.



The referendum will eliminate 10,000 more parking spots in Paris, adding to the 10,000 removed since 2020. The city's two million residents will be consulted on which streets will become pedestrian areas.



Paris town hall data shows car traffic in the city has more than halved since the Socialists took power in the capital at the turn of the century.