Paris makes public rides free to fight pollution

PARIS: Parisians taking public transportation to work on Friday were surprised and delighted to find free subways and buses for the next three days, but the reason was a bit less cheerful: Air pollution had reached an unusually high level and was expected to continue unabated through the weekend.

Bad air quality might be familiar to tourists here from Beijing or Mumbai, but in this elegant capital, where strict limits on building height create the illusion that plenty of fresh air is circulating, pollution is rarely this severe so early in the year and for so long. "Due to a persistent episode of pollution with fine particles," the environment ministry will impose exceptional measures, said Philippe Martin, the minister.

The French health ministry issued warnings particularly for the elderly, pregnant women, young children and those with respiratory ailments. The government, seeking to reduce tailpipe emissions, encouraged citizens to use readily accessible rental bicycles and electric cars by making both free through the weekend.

The European commission has repeatedly warned France that it is not complying with Europe-wide rules on air contaminant levels.