VS’is a new pedestrianization project carried out by the public authorities and which worries local residents. As part of the “Embellish your neighborhood” project, the town hall of 18and Parisian district plans to make the butte Montmartre pedestrian 365 days a year, reports BFMTV. An initiative which should allow, according to the municipality, to, in particular, fight against global warming, improve the living comfort of residents or even contribute to making the district a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“We are going to have several moments of work between now and this summer with the inhabitants to enter more precisely into the subject, to see the perimeter, even the type of population. The objective is that by the end of the year we have a project for the greatest possible pedestrianization, ”explains to our colleagues Éric Lejoindre, socialist mayor of 18and arrondissement. In the long term, only certain vehicles such as taxis, public transport or delivery services could circulate in the district.
Apprehension of traders
Among local residents, some voices are being raised to denounce this project, arguing that it could harm the tourist attractiveness of the Montmartre hill. As for traders, we would like the town hall to take its time. “I think we should already have a probationary period, so that we try. […] I think it would be good to go slowly, ”explains Brice Moyse, president of the association of traders from Lepic-Abbesses (Aclac). The pedestrianization of the district could take place as early as 2023.
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