Parasols, sun loungers and expanses of golden sand appear each summer on what was once a traffic-clogged, 3.3 kilometer road alongside the River Seine in the heart of Paris. Sipping lemonade on the “Paris Plages” as her boys played in the sand, Françoise Genet says it feels almost like being on vacation. Paris has prioritized pedestrians, cyclists and transit and banned diesel cars, reduced drivers’ access to major streets, and expanded green areas. The proportion of journeys by car in Paris has dropped about 45% since 1990, while public transit use has risen 30% and cyclists have increased tenfold. The latest projects include enforcing a citywide speed limit of 30 km/hour and establishing car-free zones outside schools. A “peaceful zone,” to launch in 2024, will make it illegal to drive across the city center without stopping. Meanwhile, efforts to create a 15-minute city -- where every resident’s needs, for leisure and work, can be reached by bike or foot in a quarter of an hour -- will put the brakes on car use even further.

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