Paris looks to ban SUVs

Paris is planning to test restrictions on gas-guzzling vehicles, likely including sport utility vehicles, as part of attempts to curb pollution.

Denis Baupin, an environmental official in the mayor's office, said Wednesday that sport utility vehicles and old diesel cars are likely to be targeted in upcoming test restrictions.

To any Parisian who drives an SUV, Baupin's advice is: "Sell it and buy a vehicle that's compatible with city life.

"I'm sorry, but having a sport utility vehicle in a city makes no sense," Baupin told RTL radio.
Paris, Lyon, Grenoble and Aix-en-Provence are among the cities planning to try restrictions on gas-guzzlers in late 2011 or 2012.

The Environment Ministry says officials in each city are still discussing precisely how the restrictions would work -- what types of cars would be affected, in what neighborhoods, during what hours or periods of the year. Exact penalties are also an open question.

Many other European cities, including London and Berlin, already have "low emission zones," with varying restrictions on the type of vehicles targeted.