The French capital Paris has declared that it will fight air pollution by making public transportation free as Parisians are currently enduring the worst winter air pollution to hit the city in at least a decade.
As part of the measures against the pollution, public transit was declared to be free for everyone for the second day in a row and only vehicles with odd-numbered plates are allowed to enter the city's core.
The capital's air quality has been one of the worst on record, French environmental agencies say.
A lack of wind, combined with cold nights followed by unseasonably warm days, has contributed to the worsening conditions.
The smog has also affected neighboring Belgium, where officials have reduced the maximum speed limit allowed on main roads. The southern Wallonia region said it had also decided to make buses, trains and underground trains free until the pollution emergency was over.
Similar traffic reduction measures have been used by Chinese authorities in Beijing to counter “red alert"-level smog there.
