Parisians will head to the polls on Sunday to decide whether 500 additional streets across the city should be transformed into pedestrian-friendly and green spaces. This initiative is part of a
broader effort by the city’s left-leaning administration to reduce car usage and improve air quality.
This marks the third citywide referendum in recent years. In 2023, Parisians voted to ban electric scooters, and earlier approved a sharp increase in parking fees for large SUVs.
"For the past 25 years, we've been steadily reclaiming public space for pedestrians and soft mobility, creating ‘garden streets’ as breathing spaces in our neighborhoods," said Deputy Mayor Patrick Bloche in an interview with Reuters.
Since the Socialist party took control of city hall in the early 2000s, car traffic in Paris has dropped by more than half. Under Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who took office in 2014, the city has seen major changes. Between 2020 and 2023, Paris added 84 km (52 miles) of bike lanes, and bicycle use increased by 71% following the COVID-19 lockdowns.
If approved, this new measure would remove an additional 10,000 parking spaces—on top of the 10,000 already eliminated since 2020. Paris’s two million residents would then have a say in selecting which streets will become pedestrian zones.
Still Behind in Green Space
Despite these efforts, Paris remains behind other European capitals when it comes to green infrastructure. Only 26% of the city is covered by green areas—such as parks, tree-lined streets, gardens, and wetlands—compared to the European average of 41%, according to the European Environment Agency.
Opponents argue the changes are making life harder for the 10 million residents in the suburbs surrounding Paris, where public transportation options are more limited. These residents often rely on cars to commute and shop in the city center.
“Paris isn’t just a museum—it’s a place where people work, where people from the greater Paris area have to travel in, where stores rely on customers,” said Philippe Nozière, head of the car owners' group 40 Millions d’Automobilistes.
The disparity in car ownership reflects this divide: only one in three households in central Paris owns a car, compared to two in three in the suburbs. Nationally, outside of Paris and its metro region, car ownership in France is around 85%.
If the proposal is passed, the total number of pedestrianized, greened streets in Paris will rise to nearly 700—just over 10% of the city’s total streets. Photo by Clément Gruin, Wikimedia commons.