Smog Choking Paris Eased After Traffic Curbs, Study Shows

Traffic restrictions imposed in Paris for a day in March lowered emissions and alleviated smog choking the French capital.

The government’s partial ban on road traffic on March 17 during a period of increased pollution had a “quantifiable and visible impact,” according to Airparif, which monitors air quality. Overall air quality gauged by concentrations of the pollutants improved due to the measures, especially in neighborhoods closest to the often-congested Paris ring-road called the Boulevard Peripherique, the report said.