Today in Paris: Half of the Private Cars in the City Banned from the Road

John Lichfield reports on the first implementation of a radical plan to curb pollution in Paris.

"[Today] will be an odd day in Paris," according to Lichfield. "The government has triggered a pollution control law which allows it to ban half the private cars in the greater Paris area."

The article also provides details about how the program works and how local police forces will enforce the ban. The plan is part of an ambitious approach to terrible air quality conditions that made news last year. The decision to enforce the ban today was also the subject of political intrigue in the city.

On a related note, Sarah Laskow recently wrote a speculative article for New York magazine considering the possibility of a U.S. city someday (maybe soon) banning all cars.