It is difficult to walk the cobbled streets of downtown Ljubljana to imagine that the car could have had its place here. Passers-by are unanimous: "It was a very good idea". Since 2007, a pedestrian zone has been set up in the centre of the Slovenian capital. It gradually expanded to 19 hectares and today, the city boasts a network of more than 300 km of bike paths.

The measure has reduced air pollution. On the largest boulevard closed to traffic, Slovenska Avenue, emissions of soot carbon - fine particles responsible for lung cancer - have been reduced by at least 70%, without increasing in the surrounding streets. But it is above all the peaceful living environment that pleases, especially tourists. Cyclists and walkers rub shoulders quietly along the banks of the Ljubljanica and small electric vehicles transport people who have difficulty walking, especially to medical facilities.

The forgotten peripheral districts

The contrast is all the more striking when you take a few steps out of the pedestrian zone. Car traffic is always dense and fast. "It is common, all over the world, I would say, for the city center to be renovated and pedestrianized. But when you move away from the centre, you have cars," says Mojca Balant of the Republic of Slovenia's urban planning centre. "In 2007, the city council showed courage by opting for a pedestrian zone. But since then, little has been done to move forward," said activist Matej Praprotnik. This cyclist lives in a peripheral neighborhood and regrets living in "a city dominated by the car".

The public transport network is poorly developed and bike paths are sometimes dangerous. So, even if cars have disappeared from the center, they remain the preferred means of transport to get there. Moreover, the peripheral roads will soon be widened and a car park should be built in the city center. A misinterpretation, according to Mojca Balant. "If you widen the roads, there will be more cars," says the urban planner. Like Matej Praprotnik, she regrets that the place of motor vehicles has not been redesigned. "When we look at the budget, the majority goes to cars and there is a small part on sustainable mobility because the European Union asks for it," she concludes.

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