SUV Drivers Beware: Paris Can Be A Deflating Experience
Not wanted by some.
Paris (AFP) Sep 01, 2005
Drivers of SUVs in Paris are being targeted by a group of activists
letting down their tyres because of anger at the disproportionate
amount of pollution the big four-wheel drive vehicles produce, the
French newspaper Liberation reported Friday.
"We don't puncture them, we just let the air out, because that way,
legally, we're not risking a lot," it quoted one of the
unidentified activists as saying.
He said the group, which calls itself the Deflators, decided on its
nighttime valve raids because "four-wheel-drive owners know they're
polluting twice as much as other vehicles but they don't care, and
city authorities are powerless to fight them because of the
strength of the automobile lobby."
The action came after Paris City Hall, dominated by pro-environment
Socialist and Green councillors, did a U-turn on an idea to ban
SUVs from the capital's streets after fierce opposition from
driving associations, which called it discriminatory.
"Our attitude will probably spark hateful reactions. But what we're
looking for is a citizen's debate, a dialogue, to remind people
that four-wheel-drives in the city are harmful to the environment,"
the unnamed activist said.
The group has promised to make a video of its tyre strikes
available on the Internet within the next month with the aim of
inspiring the same action in other French cities.
