Paris is banning half the cars on the roads amid the worst winter pollution in a decade

© AFP/File Joel Saget

Paris is suffering its worst and most prolonged winter pollution for at least 10 years, the Airparif agency which measures the levels said Wednesday.

The peak is due to the combination of emissions from vehicles and from domestic wood fires as well as near windless conditions which means pollutants have not been dispersed, the agency said.

For a second consecutive day, city officials imposed traffic reduction measures.

Private cars with registration plates ending in even numbers were banned from the road from between 5:30 am and midnight Wednesday. On Tuesday, cars with odd-numbered plates were affected by the measure.

Public transport in the city, from metro trains to buses, was free to encourage commuters to leave their cars at home.

NOW WATCH: A perfect storm is creating dangerous amounts of air pollution in Paris