Paris fights smog with free buses

Paris: Paris is making public transport free for it’s residents due to a spike in air pollution. Some cars have been barred from the roads. The city is suffering its worst and most prolonged winter pollution for at least 10 years, the Airparif agency which measures the levels said on Thursday. Officials in the Paris region have ordered half of all private cars off the road, alternating between a ban on registration plates ending in odd or even numbers. The air pollution peak is due to the combination of emissions from vehicles and from domestic wood fires as well as near windless conditions which means pollutants have not been dispersed, the Airparif agency said.

However, it has cast a doubt on the effectiveness of the restrictions and many motorists were seen flouting the ban on Thursday. “I wasn’t going to buy another vehicle to go to work today!” said 31-year-old builder Jug who was waiting in his truck to pay a fine of 22 euros after being stopped by police. Traffic jams in the morning rush hour were 415 kilometres around Paris, compared with 300 normally.