It’s been almost three months since the 50 km/h speed limit on the Paris ring road came into force, and it’s not about to stop just yet. The reason for this is a report by L’Automobile Magazine, which points to the inefficiency of the measure in ecological terms, despite it being one of Anne Hidalgo’s key arguments. So, what was the real impact of the speed limit change?
No reduction in pollution in Parisian skies since the lowering of the speed limit
Three months after the introduction of lower speed limits on the Paris ring road, it’s time to take stock. Taking into account the figures from early December and comparing them with those from last year, L’Automobile Magazine has made a simple observation: air quality has not improved since the measure was introduced. Concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and fine particles remain at the same level as last year.
However, not all is doom and gloom, and far from it, since four of the other five indicators have shown positive trends since last year. Noise pollution, for example, has fallen by 2.7 dB, while traffic speed has been reduced by 17% at night. The change to 50 km/h maximum also had a positive effect on traffic jams, which fell by 4%. Last but not least, the number of accidents on the loop has fallen by over 50% (37 in 2023 and 18 in 2024).
It remains to be seen whether this trend will continue in 2025.