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PARIS — Parisian drivers are being forced to hit the brakes as Mayor Anne Hidalgo presses ahead with plans to reduce the speed limit on arguably the city’s most important highway.
Hidalgo on Monday said that her long-awaited proposal to cut the maximum speed on the French capital’s ring road, the Boulevard Périphérique, from 70 kilometers per hour to 50 kph would take effect on Oct. 1.
The Boulevard Périphérique is a crucial artery used by those living in Paris’ suburbs to traverse the outskirts of the city itself. However, the Périph’, as it’s known by locals, is often jammed at rush hour — so much so that the average speed on the highway is slower than 40 kph, according to city of Paris data from 2019.
Hidalgo has previously said she wants to lower the speed limit to reduce both air and noise pollution for residents who live near the highway. The speed limit on the Périph’ was previously cut from 90 kph to 70 kph in 2014.
The move is part of a broader push from Hidalgo, a member of the center-left Socialist party, to make Paris greener and more pedestrian-friendly, often at the expense of cars. Other policies have included hiking parking fees for heavy vehicles such as SUVs and closing the banks of the Seine River to cars so they could be used by pedestrians.
When Hidalgo first announced her proposal to slow the Périph’ in November 2023, it sparked opposition from right-wing members of the Paris city council and Macron’s then-Transport Minister, Clément Beaune, who called the policy “too sudden” and “premature.”
The debate over cutting the speed limit has raised questions about whether the city has the legal authority to act independently or would need state approval.
Changer Paris, the main local opposition to Hidalgo, has also criticized the Parisian mayor for not leading a policy impact assessment or consulting the population on her decision.
A 2021 study commissioned by the city of Paris showed that most drivers who use the Périph’ were commuting from their homes outside Paris to their workplaces. Only 13 percent of respondents said they were using a car to reach a “place of delivery, appointment or service at a customer’s or patient’s location.”
