The Georges Pompidou expressway (Voie Georges-Pompidou) is a former road for cars in Paris, France. As of 2022, it is an "urban park".[1]

History

France's then-prime minister, Georges Pompidou, opened the 13-kilometer[2] expressway in 1967.

From 2002, part of the highway became a beach in summer, known as "Paris-Plages" and visited by 4 million people annually (as of 2007).[3][4]

Cars were banned on the left bank of the Seine in 2013 and on the right bank in 2017, after several years of experiments.[3] The removal of the car road happened under the mayors Bertrand Delanoë and Anne Hidalgo, the latter calling the process "a "reconquest" of the city for its residents.[1] This development is seen as a key example of a trend in Europe[1] and around the world[5] of cities discouraging cars from their roads.

Before the road was closed to them, 43,000 cars used the road daily.[6] While some protested against the removal of cars, the majority supported it.[3]

Sources

  1. 1 2 3 "Car wars: Politicians are sending mixed signals about private car ownership. National leaders are promoting it. Local ones want to curb driving". The Economist. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  2. ↑ "Pompidou Expressway". Congress for the New Urbanism. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  3. 1 2 3 Schmitt, Angie (2016-09-28). "Adieu, Cars: Paris Riverfront to Be Permanently Returned to the People". Streets Blog USA. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  4. ↑ (unknown), Pierre (2021-07-19). "Paris-Plages along the River Seine". French Moments. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  5. ↑ Grabar, Henry (2016-09-13). "Paris Is Turning Its Central Highway Into a Park. American Cities Need to Pay Attention". Slate.com. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  6. ↑ Sims, Alexandra (2016-09-26). "Paris approves controversial plan to ban cars along stretch of River Seine". The Independent. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
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