PARIS
The mayor of Paris has announced residential parking will be free for a day after air pollution rose again in the Ile-de-France district in the center of the French capital.
Airparif, a French watchdog which monitors air quality, said earlier on Thursday it had detected a volume of polluted particulates in the air which were above the average concentration of 50 micrograms of particles per cubic meter over a 24-hour period.
Police announced vehicle speeds would be reduced on roads in Ile-de-France and Airparif recommended "vulnerable" people, such as asthma sufferers, avoid excessive physical exercise.
The new warning follows a high pollution alert in Paris and other cities over several days in mid-March, which led to unprecedented measures - such as providing public transport for free and alternating days when vehicles could be driven - being taken to tackle the problem.
Airparif has warned in the past that residents of the French capital suffer from “chronically high levels” of pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide and particulates.
