Banks of Seine a paradise for strollers
Mayor's cleanup campaign bears fruit
IRWIN ARIEFF
Paris,Reuters
TheRiver Seine,lifeline of Paris, is getting a facelift. Walkways along its banks are being improved, bridges illuminated and nearby historic buildings renovated over the next two years.
While other cities have turned their backs on the rivers that course through their urban centres, Paris has lined the banks of the Seine with rustic pathways, trees, parks and flowers.
Riverboats packed with tourists ply its waters, floating bars and restaurants tie up to its banks, and its path is dotted with gardens and sculptures.
A stone'n throw from the capital's broad and bustling boulevards, the river entices native Parisians as well a tourists, offering a zone of peace and quiet for those fazzl by the city's frantic pace.
But breaks in the walkways interrupt hikers intent on long strolls while nearby car traffic fouls the air with pollution and the drone of motors.
Enter Jean Tiberi, the Paris mayor. He has displayed a remarkable determination to cut back on the proliferation of cars in the capital while improving the lot of pedestrians and cyclists.
"The Seine is not like other rivers," he wrote recently. "It tells the story of Paris, it feeds its neighbourhoods, it unites its residents, it gives direction to the city."
Mr. Tiberi unveiled his master plan for the Seine a year ago, and the project is scheduled to be completed in 2001.
The goal is to create an uninterrupted 12 kilometre walkway along the Seine's banks, beginning at the Andre Citroen park in western Paris and ending at the new Bercy park on the est side of the city.