Congested Paris bans through-traffic near the Louvre and Eiffel Tower to cut pollution

Paris has banned through-traffic from parts of its historic centre to cut pollution and congestion, with the city’s police chief vowing however that the new rules would be enforced with a light touch.

As of Monday, drivers of cars and other motorised vehicles including motorbikes are no longer able to travel in the capital’s first, second, third and fourth districts – or arrondissements – unless they have business there.

The area of 5.5 square kilometres (2.1 square miles) includes the Louvre Museum, the glitzy Place Vendome, the Tuileries gardens and the historic Marais neighbourhood as well as many cultural venues and shopping areas.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has long sought to limit car traffic in the capital in favour of less polluting means of transport, notably bicycles.

Over the past decade, the city has turned several areas previously dedicated to cars over to cyclists and pedestrians, including stretches of the banks of the river Seine.