After Germany proposed to make public transport free of charge to reduce emissions, another European city seems to consider this solution as an option. The mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo has proposed to make wide-public transport free and plans to debate the issue ahead of municipal elections in 2020.
However, this proposal has already faced skepticism, as free transport would automatically translate into an additional spending for tax payers.
Tackling the issue of air pollution with free public transport is not the only policy measure that Hidalgo has planned. The mayor has already pushed a series of measures to cut air pollution, such as turning highways along the Seine river into public parks and building more bike lanes. Driving restrictions based on licence plates have also been implemented, as well as the use of a vignette to identify the age and pollution levels of each car.
All these measures aim at banning all petrol and diesel cars from the city centre of Paris by 2020.
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