We’re not here to cause panic and have you choke on your macaron, baguette, or cotton candy, but Paris had a problem a little under two weeks ago when an usual amount of smog rolled in and blanketed the city.
Concerned officials went as far as to throw open the turnstiles to public transportation, offering free rides on subways and buses for three days in hopes of improving air quality and easing congestion throughout the region. It wasn't just the pollution, though. According to the BBC, some unique weather patterns made things that much worse, resulting in an Air Quality Index of 185 that put Paris on par with Beijing.
Thankfully, things are back to normal, but this is something we'll
continue to monitor. If it becomes a regular problem, there's no
question it would impact tourism. As much as we’d love some free rides
aboard the Paris Métro on our next visit, we’d gladly pay a few Euros in
exchange for clean air.
Feel free to drop a comment or two if you've visited the city lately. An anecdote from a Parisian would be ideal, but we’d love to hear from all you Francophiles out there as well.
[Photo: austinevan]
Feel free to drop a comment or two if you've visited the city lately. An anecdote from a Parisian would be ideal, but we’d love to hear from all you Francophiles out there as well.
[Photo: austinevan]
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