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Headed to Paris? Better get some good walking shoes. City to ban cars in city center once a month.
Cars won't be allowed in the Paris city center on the first Sunday of every month in an effort to improve air quality. (Philippe Lopez/AFP/Getty Images)

Headed to Paris? Better get some good walking shoes. City to ban cars in city center once a month.

The French capital of Paris is expanding on its monthly car-free zones to include the city's center starting on Sunday, the Daily Mail reported.

The move is part of Mayor Anne Hidalgo's Paris Respire (Paris Breathes) plan to improve the city's air quality and free up space in public areas.

"This measure, eagerly awaited by the inhabitants, is the fruit of an important partnership between the prefecture of police, mayors of the district and neighbourhood associations," Hidalgo said, according to the Daily Mail.

The once-a-month car ban will include the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th arrondissements or administrative districts. Paris is divided into 20 districts. Cars were already banned in some other highly polluted parts of the city.

The Wuppertal Institute in Germany released a study earlier this year that ranked Paris' air-quality as the second worst of 13 European cities, behind Moscow.

How will it work?

The rule will be enforced from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the first Sunday of every month.

Pedestrians will be allowed to walk and ride bikes and scooters on the city's streets.

Are there exceptions to the rule?

Local residents, caregivers, those attending religious services, delivery vans, and taxi cabs will be allowed to drive on designated streets with a speed limit of 20 km/h or 12 mph, according to the report.

“It will cover most of the streets, with the exception of major roads such as Boulevard Sébastopol, which will remain open to traffic,” Christophe Najdovski, deputy mayor of Paris, said according to the Independent.

What else?

Hidalgo has advocated for better and less expensive public transportation options to help reduce car emissions in her push for fewer cars on the road.

"To improve public transport we should not only make it more extensive, more regular and more comfortable, we must also rethink the fares system," she said in March, according to The Mail.

Hidalgo also chairs the C40 Cities group, a global network of cities that are committed to addressing climate change.

Last year, the city announced a ban on diesel vehicles effective in 2024.

Paris will host the 2024  Summer Olympics.

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