[Travel] Paris bans cars for the day, asks Europe to join in

[Stat Brother]

"could never happen in Brighton because it's a tourist destination".

https://www.france24.com/en/20180916-paris-brussels-france-polution-hidalgo-car-free-days-europe

Car-free day in Paris and Brussels – in pictures
https://www.theguardian.com/world/g...ictures?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[tweet]1041324357514080256[/tweet]

 

[afcb]

.

 

[Bakero]

Hippies.

 

[Stat Brother]

At least the onions still got delivered.

 

[Albion my Albion]

What are you without a car in the restroom?

European!

 

[beorhthelm]

its a nice gimmick. wonder if the ban extended to over night deliveries, or if they fancy doing on a week day?

 

[Stat Brother]

its a nice gimmick. wonder if the ban extended to over night deliveries, or if they fancy doing on a week day?

What an amazingly stupid point, why would they do that?

No car day isn't about screwing Paris over, it's about reminding people that cars aren't the only option.
Not to mention a 20% reduction in air pollution.

I guess London will grind to a standstill on the 22nd, when part of it has a 'car free day'.

 

[beorhthelm]

What an amazingly stupid point, why would they do that?

No car day isn't about screwing Paris over, it's about reminding people that cars aren't the only option.
Not to mention a 20% reduction in air pollution.

I guess London will grind to a standstill on the 22nd, when part of it has a 'car free day'.

London event is not official with no actual ban on cars, so i doubt it. they would make a stronger point in Paris and Brussels if it was a week day, when traffic would be more and see how it would affect the working life of the cities.

 

[RandyWanger]

Well done Paris. I hope it spreads.

 

[Stat Brother]

London event is not official with no actual ban on cars, so i doubt it. they would make a stronger point in Paris and Brussels if it was a week day, when traffic would be more and see how it would affect the working life of the cities.

But the whole idea isn't to force people out of their beloved cars.
It's not a battle or a fight, it's just about slowly altering perspectives.

Do you look at all your problems and decide they ought to be Improved the hardest way possible?

 

[NigelL]

Happens regularly in Brussels - got caught out a couple of years back heading to Eurostar in Brussels and the coach we were in had to be diverted due to road closures. Would love to see it done in UK towns & cities. With enough notice and planning anything is possible. Problem in the UK will be all the anti-cycling brigade thinking it’s being done for cyclists benefit [emoji30]


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[Simster]

But the whole idea isn't to force people out of their beloved cars.
It's not a battle or a fight, it's just about slowly altering perspectives.

Do you look at all your problems and decide they ought to be Improved the hardest way possible?

I'd ignore him if I were you. If there is a problem created by rampant capitalism, he always defaults to feebleness as to why we shouldn't bother trying to change it. Do you remember his absolute nonsense over the 5p plastic bag levy? [MENTION=599]beorhthelm[/MENTION] was insisting it was absurd because it was nothing more than a tax on convenience, yet it turns out the main supermarkets have seen an 86% drop in plastic bag demand since then. If anyone had listened to [MENTION=599]beorhthelm[/MENTION] and his ilk, that particular happy outcome would never have come about.

 

[Rodney Thomas]

Brussels has been doing this for some time now. It's a lovely day out for everyone

 

[Stat Brother]

I have no idea why posters appear to be so scared of this

The footage of Paris all but silent on a lovely Autumnal day looked absolutely fantastic, why wouldn't people want a piece of that for 8 hours a year?

 

[beorhthelm]

I'd ignore him if I were you. If there is a problem created by rampant capitalism, he always defaults to feebleness as to why we shouldn't bother trying to change it. Do you remember his absolute nonsense over the 5p plastic bag levy? [MENTION=599]beorhthelm[/MENTION] was insisting it was absurd because it was nothing more than a tax on convenience, yet it turns out the main supermarkets have seen an 86% drop in plastic bag demand since then. If anyone had listened to [MENTION=599]beorhthelm[/MENTION] and his ilk, that particular happy outcome would never have come about.

well you dont seem to be ignoring me with that sort of memory. you couldnt have misjudged my view on the no car day more, i believe if we want to address city pollution and congestion get on with proper policy, identify and address the problems, not grandstand with trivial one off events like this. lovely to see people cycling around in the sun, day later back to normal, nothing changed. on bags, i would be interested to see the number and volume non-single use bags used since, to see if we havent simply moved the problem along a bit. why havent we got recyclable bags instead of a 5p tax?

 

[withdeanwombat]

I’m in.

I’m refusing to drive in Paris today.

 

[Wrong-Direction]

Suppose I could fit a van load of tools on a bike

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[Simster]

well you dont seem to be ignoring me with that sort of memory. you couldnt have misjudged my view on the no car day more, i believe if we want to address city pollution and congestion get on with proper policy, identify and address the problems, not grandstand with trivial one off events like this. lovely to see people cycling around in the sun, day later back to normal, nothing changed. on bags, i would be interested to see the number and volume non-single use bags used since, to see if we havent simply moved the problem along a bit. why havent we got recyclable bags instead of a 5p tax?

You see, this is the nonsense I mean. Sure, city pollution and congestion need addressing, but what is wrong with a day to simply highlight the fact that car use is out of control? It's not grandstanding at all.

As for plastic bags, you made a massive fuss over it. And frankly, plenty of shoppers have simply changed their habits - shopping bags (plastic and non-single use) now live in cars in many cases, so that they are picked up on the supermarket round. I'd be amazed if "we've moved the problem along a bit".

Here you go:
https://www.theguardian.com/environ...tish-seas-linked-to-introduction-of-5p-charge

So much so that Waitrose are about to scrap them completely on a trial basis:
https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2018/09/waitrose-will-scrap-5p-plastic-bags-next-year/

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Athens has alternate days depending on whether your car registration is an odd or even number.

 

[Stat Brother]

well you dont seem to be ignoring me with that sort of memory. you couldnt have misjudged my view on the no car day more, i believe if we want to address city pollution and congestion get on with proper policy, identify and address the problems, not grandstand with trivial one off events like this. lovely to see people cycling around in the sun, day later back to normal, nothing changed. on bags, i would be interested to see the number and volume non-single use bags used since, to see if we havent simply moved the problem along a bit. why havent we got recyclable bags instead of a 5p tax?

It's not grandstanding.

What I believe was a one off now appears to be a monthly event in Paris, the next time being 21/10.

I'm reminded for a conversation I had with the owner of one of my local bike shops.

A lady of age came in and for whatever anti car reason (congestion, parking, fitness money) she bought a bike.
She often lunched with 4 or 5 friends, and they took the piss out of her for turning up on her bike.
Within a month all 5 of them had bought bikes from Martin and the lunches turned into cycle touring.

5 cars off the road, 5 cars no longer in front of tradesmen, 5 more available parking spaces, 5 women now a bit fitter than they were.

You're being so small minded, getting people out of cars isn't an overnight thing, sadly with the speed of our infrastructure, it's generational.