The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo announced yesterday that the speed will be reduced to 50 km/h on the ring road compared to 70 today. A measure which will come into force on September 14, 2024. Objectives announced by the elected official: improve air quality and reduce noise pollution. But what are the real impacts on health?
550,000 residents live along the Paris ring road, many of them from low-income populations. “ Fighting air and noise pollution is seen as a fight against inequality », According to Anne Hidalgo.
Read: Speed on the Paris ring road soon to be limited to 50 km/h
According to Airparif, 40,000 of these local residents are, in fact, exposed to concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) higher than the regulatory annual limit threshold set at 40 µg/m3 on average over the year. This gas, mainly emitted by road traffic, can cause asthma and increases the risk of respiratory infections and lung diseases.
However, limiting speed on the road ring does not necessarily reduce environmental pollution. “ For there to be an impact, this limitation would have to, on the one hand, reduce traffic jams, and on the other hand, it would have to encourage motorists to reduce their travel. », explains Antoine Troucheengineer at Airparif.
The change from 80 to 70 km/h on the ring road in 2014, combined with the arrival of electric cars on the market, has already made it possible to improve air quality. “ In 10 years, the NO2 was reduced by 40% and fine particle pollution fell by 20% in the capital », adds Antoine Trouche. A proportion which increases to 45% and 25% near major traffic routes.
According to Noiseparifthis limitation would reduce noise by 2 to 3 decibels during the night, when cars are traveling the fastest. During the day, on the other hand, the impact would only be 0.5 to 1 decibel.
But the perpetuation of a lane reserved for carpooling and public transport could well change the situation. “ Noise reduction will depend on traffic flow. We will regularly check the sound volume using our monitoring stations. “, underlines Fanny Mietlickidirector of Noiseparif.
Always according to a study of Noiseparifrepeated exposure to noise can cause, in the short term, a change in blood pressure as well as an increase in the secretion of stress hormones. In the longer term, some studies show an increase in certain cardiovascular diseases such as angina, hypertension and myocardial infarction.
A few weeks after the inauguration of the Paris ring road, in 1973, the noise was already one of the main concerns of nearby residents. “ We have to sleep with balls who is and you have people who suffer from nervous breakdowns », explained one of the residents of Porte de Gentilly. At the time, 160,000 vehicle passages per day were recorded.
50 years later, the 35 kilometer road ring accounts for 1.5 million daily journeys.