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Paris Makes All Public Transportation Free In Battle Against 'Worst Air Pollution For 10 Years' (independent.co.uk)
Paris has barred some cars from its streets and has made public transportation free as it suffers from the worst and most prolonged winter pollution for at least 10 years, the Airparif agency said on Wednesday. The Independent reports: Authorities have said only drivers with odd-numbered registration plates can drive in the capital region on Wednesday. Drivers of even-numbered cars were given the same opportunity on Tuesday, but could now be fined up to 35 EUR if they are caught behind the wheel. More than 1,700 motorists were fined for violations on Tuesday. Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said images of smog blanketing the capital were proof of the need to reduce vehicle use in the city center. The air pollution peak is due to the combination of emissions from vehicles and from domestic wood fires as well as near windless conditions which means pollutants have not been dispersed, the Airparif agency said. "This is a record period (of pollution) for the last 10 years," Karine Leger of AirParif told AFP by telephone. For more than a week, Airparif has published readings of PM10 at more than 80 micrograms per cubic meter of air particles, triggering the pollution alert. Along with odd-numbered cars, hybrid or electric vehicles as well as those carrying three or more people will be allowed to roam the roads. Foreign and emergency vehicles will be unaffected.
Eventually he got inmpeached and the new Gov discovered that free rides were not sustainable. So they means tested it.
Dunno how they discovered it wasn't, but FWIW it might be an unfortunate (mis-)find.
Public transportation where I live is free for seniors. Trains, metros, busses, boats, etc., in all cities and between all cities. Everything except airplanes. It surprised me somewhat when I came here for the first time, and it certainly surprised my parents when they first came (since as EU seniors they didn't need to pay either), but apparently this has been going on since the communist era.
There arguably is a cost. Perhaps one can shrug it off as in "meh, the bus is scheduled anyway. The only point in time where it might be problematic is during rush hours when you need to field a few more busses." Or perhaps not.
Either way, the positive side effects are observable when you care to look: seniors tend to visit their children and grand children across the country instead of it being the other way around like where I'm from - and more often, at that. You see seniors everywhere, and the contrast in their behavior is palpable when I compare this with the other two dozen or so countries I've lived in. When they do go out they can afford to go to cafes and restaurants, give some money to their kids and grand kids, etc. Plus nanny savings that allow single moms to work more than part-time where applicable.
I've no idea if the net economic balance is positive, but when you factor in the quality of life side effects across generations it certainly seems worth doing.
Allow service vehicles, public transportation, cabs and bicycles, and everyone will be happy.
This will be unpopular with North Americans (US and Canadians alike) who live their lives in cars, but in Europe we can conceive of an existence where you don't need to hop into a car every time you have to go from point A to point B.
"The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
Every week I drive to the supermarket and pick up 20-30 kg of stuff
This is a key cultural difference between Europeans and Americans, and it doesn't get pointed out enough. When I lived in Europe, I'd stop by the store almost every day on my way home and by what I needed for the next 24-48 hours, which'd always fit in just one bag (drank tap water). Living in the US now, I've gotten out of the habit and instead tend to buy in bulk.
If there were more smaller supermarkets/butchers/grocers/etc more widely and evenly distributed in the US, then we wouldn't have to "carry cargo" at that scale. That's neither a quick nor an easy change to make, however.