Paris authorities are looking to go ahead with pedestrianization plans after a referendum, despite a historically low voter turnout. Some 10,000 parking places across the French capital are expected to disappear.

Residents of the French capital have voted to close down another 500 streets to cars, turning them into green, pedestrian zones, results showed on Monday.

Around two-thirds of the cast ballots were in favor of the so-called “garden road” schemes, according to Mayor Anne Hidalgo, although only 4% of the 1.4 million registered voters took part in the referendum.

“This vote reinforces our commitment to continue sharing public space for pedestrians and to make Paris greener,” Christophe Najdovski, deputy mayor in charge of green spaces, told French news agency AFP.

What will Paris’ ‘garden road’ scheme involve?

Around 220 of Paris’ 6,000 roads are already car-free, most of which are close to schools.

As a result of the vote, which was carried out on Sunday, some 10,000 parking spots will be removed from the city.

Consultations are planned “in the coming weeks” to decide on which streets will be pedestrianized, according to city authorities. The plan aims to remove cars from around 25 streets per arrondissement, or administrative district.

Sunday’s vote was the third brought in by the Socialist mayor to improve the capital’s busy road network. The previous votes led to the banning of e-scooters and to tripling parking fees for SUVs.

Opponents slam vote as ‘PR stunt’

The opposition has criticized Sunday’s referendum, calling it a publicity stunt while accusing the mayor of failing to resolve the problems faced by Parisians on a daily basis.

“Parisians did not want to get involved in a PR campaign by the city hall,” Nelly Garnier of the right-wing opposition said, pointing to the historically low turnout.

Hidalgo has made attempts to fight congestion and improve air quality since taking the top job in the French capital in 2014.

Recently she has limited traffic on one lane of Paris’ busy ring road to car sharing during rush hours. She has also reduced the speed limit on the highway.

Hidalgo plans to step down in the 2026 mayoral election.

Edited by: Wesley Rahn

DW News