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Paris to drive cars off River Seine’s right bank

With the left bank of the River Seine safely in the hands of pedestrians, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo now wants to take away the right bank from the city’s cars.

Published: 6 May 2015 08:48 CEST
Paris to drive cars off River Seine's right bank
The right bank of the River Seine could look like this in the future. Image: Luxigon

The mayor of Paris’s war on automobiles looks set to continue apace.

On Tuesday Anne Hidalgo launched her plan to turn the right bank of the River Seine into the city’s latest pedestrian zone.

It follows a similar move by her predecessor Bertrand Delanoë, whose flagship scheme to close the highway along the left bank has been deemed a success even if it angered motorist groups.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday Anne Hidalgo said: “It’s an urban project, almost philosophical, which is to envisage a city in an alternative way than through the use of cars.”

Hidalgo pointed to the work done in cities like Lyon and Bordeaux, which have been lauded for reclaiming parts of the river banks for pedestrians.

“The transformation of an urban highway into a promenade will be very strong marker of this mandate,” she added.

 

Hidalgo, who vowed to reduce traffic in the city, said the Georges-Pompidou highway on the right bank of the Seine – part of a Unesco World Heritage Site, will be permanently handed over to pedestrians after the annual Paris Plage festival in 2016.

As a result the 2,700 vehicles that pass along the highway each hour at peak times, will be moved elsewhere and their place will be taken by riverside gardens, games areas and people out for a stroll.

A period of public consultation will now begin over exactly how much of the river bank highway will be closed off to traffic.

Two options are on the table: Reclaiming the portion of highway that runs between the Pont de Sully and Châtelet or the more ambitious project of transforming the much longer stretch between Tuileries Tunnel and Port de L’Arsenal.

Motorist group 40 Million Motorists are opposed to the scheme and have set up an online petition.

 

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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