Paris is aiming to ban tourist buses from the city centre to tackle complaints about nuisances caused by mass tourism and spur visitors to walk, cycle or take public transport, the French capital's deputy mayor has said.
Emmanuel Gregoire told Le Parisien newspaper that the situation in Paris was not as bad as in tourist-swamped Venice or Barcelona, but Parisians were concerned about the influx of tourist buses.
"We no longer want the total anarchy of tourist buses in Paris....Buses are no longer welcome in the very heart of the city," Gregoire said.
Paris is crisscrossed by dozens of hop-on, hop-off double-decker buses that shuttle tourists between the main monuments, as well as international touristcoaches that bring in budget travellers from all over Europe.
Gregoire said the city was awaiting new legislation to reduce bus traffic and would put in place parking spots outside the city so that buses no longer drive into the centre.
France's new law on mobility will give local authorities more powers to regulate local traffic and new transport options such as rented bicycles and electric scooters.
Environmentally Friendly Mobility Options And Public Transport
"Tourists can do like everyone else does and switch to environmentally friendly mobility options or take public transport. We need change," said Gregoire.
He added that tourist guides should adapt by developing guided bicycle tours or walking tours with headphones.
Last year, tourist arrivals in Paris, and the Ile-de-France region around it, set a record of 50 million people, up from 48 million in 2017, despite the sometimes violent "yellow vest" protests against the government which began last November.
France is the world's most visited country, having received a record 89.4 million visitors last year, up from 86.9 million in 2017.
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