How Cities Plan to Keep Traffic Out When Lockdowns Lift

Extended bike lanes and wider sidewalks are among solutions to keep car traffic down as people continue to avoid public transit

May 22, 20200

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People in France bike wearing masks down the "Rue de Rivoli." (Photo by Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

When cities put stay-at-home orders in place, traffic plummeted. And some cities, like Paris and Milan, have plans to support the limit automobile use long after the lockdowns end.

The purpose of the policies is to fight local urban air pollution, particularly smog, which is caused by the chemicals in automobile emissions. Milan plans to turn over 21 miles of streets into bike lanes, and Brussels is converting its city core to a priority zone for pedestrians and cyclists, Francesca Perry reports for the BBC. Paris' mayor Anne Hidalgo has supported car reduction policies for years, following a decades-long push in the city to pedestrianize the city, Laura Bliss reported for CityLab in 2018.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/some-cities-want-keep-traffic-out-when-lockdowns-lift-180974917/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200521-daily-responsive&spMailingID=42556847&spUserID=NTkyNzY2ODg1MzgyS0&spJobID=1762099109&spReportId=MTc2MjA5OTEwOQS2