Paris doesn’t want its old cars! They’re sick of the pollution, sick of the traffic. Eliminating those things are noble goals and I support them for many reasons—not the least of which is that I’m hoping France’s loss could be America’s gain.
Our old pal at Gizmodo Alissa Walker today reported that starting July 1, all cars registered before 1997 and motorcycles before 2000 will be banned from Paris’ city center on weekdays. The ban on older cars will get more stringent as time marches on—by 2020, only cars registered after 2011 will be allowed in. You can still drive your old car on the weekends or outside of the city whenever.
As much as many of us would rather take a bullet to the leg than even entertain the notion of “Ban Cars”, France’s heart is in the right place. The government is trying to make a city plagued with traffic and pollution a little more livable to human beings.
Plus, America (and other countries) wins again, because many people may now be inclined to part with their old Citroëns, Peugeots and Renaults rather than deal with this car ban. So we need to swoop in and save them!
Remember, it’s 2016, so it’s now legal to import anything to the U.S. from 1991 or before then. Cars like:
- The sweet Renault 5 Turbo
- The excellent Citroën CX
- The fantastic Peugeot 205 GTI
- A bunch of motorcycles
Plus any number of old DS-es inexplicably still running around.
These cars may need good homes soon. Please, won’t you step up and do the right thing for them, America?