Paris, this is your city without cars.
On September 27, the city of Paris decided to close most of its major streets in the center of the city in honor of "Une Journée Sans Voiture," or "A Day Without Cars," in order to combat pollution.
From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., most streets, with the exception of a few main thoroughfares, were completely closed to motor vehicles. Streets that remained open were given a speed limit of about 20 mph for the day. The plan to go car-free was proposed as an effort for the city to clean up its air. Paris will also host the COP21 United Nations climate change conference in November.
Instead of driving, Parisians walked, biked, skateboarded or chose a number of other green transportation options for getting around the city.
Abandoned by cars, major avenues and landmarks were instead peppered with an incredible number of pedestrians. Paris looked very different for the day. Here is a comparison of how going car-free for a day changed the city in some major locations.
Rue de Rivoli
A photo posted by Benoit (@paris_ci) on Sep 27, 2015 at 10:20am PDT
A photo posted by @mggn__b on Sep 26, 2015 at 12:36pm PDT
Avenue des Champs-Elysées
A photo posted by @marion_in_paris on Sep 27, 2015 at 8:19am PDT
Can't wait to travel again #wanderlust A photo posted by @shaundqba on Sep 27, 2015 at 7:58am PDT
Eiffel Tower
A photo posted by @peeleeee on Sep 27, 2015 at 6:46am PDT
A photo posted by Jsuis RYU (@ryuchef) on Sep 27, 2015 at 9:36am PDT
The Louvre
While #parissansvoiture is not entirely car free as anticipated - which is a little disappointing - it's still a rare sight to see behind the #Louvre so empty! #carfreeday #paris #SundayFunday #sun #city A photo posted by Rachel Rebibo (@rachelrebibo) on Sep 27, 2015 at 4:42am PDT
Musée du Louvre. #louvre#musée#city#ville#sands#ground#paris#tourist#attraction#musee#sky#ciel#bleu#cloudy#sunny#instago#instalife#instacity#arch#arc#architecture#french#construction#sunshine#car#Paris#objet#antique#ancient#century A photo posted by 张怡波 (@nicholaszhangyb) on Sep 26, 2015 at 9:34am PDT