text: However, alternative transportation methods are not the only reason to give up your car. By not driving a car, air pollution can be decreased drastically. In Paris, France's largest city and international destination, driving was temporarily illegal because of heavy smog in the city. ". . . Congestion was down 60 percent in the capital of France, after five-days of intensifying smog." It did not take very long for traffic and smog to clear up once the ban was put in place, and the famous city began to look like itself once again.