Paris Declares First Sunday of Every Month to be Car-Free

October 7 marked the start of a new car-free campaign in Paris that will ban drivers in the center of the city on the first Sunday of every month. Mayor Anne Hidalgo made the move official this past weekend, as part of her bigger, long-term vision to clean up the city's air and make the streets more pedestrian-friendly.

While the city has experimented with car-free days in the past, and banned traffic on the Champs-Elysées on the first Sunday of every month, the newest initiative will expand the program to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th arrondissements of the city on the first Sunday of every month.

Between the hours of 10 am to 6 pm, the center of Paris will be reserved for pedestrians, cyclists, and rollerbladers. Exceptions will be made for taxis, buses, delivery trucks and private chauffeur taxis. This decision comes while the Paris Motor Show 2018 is still going on in the city.