The most important test for the new Stade de Nacional in Paris when it opens for the soccer game between France and Spain on January 28th will be in the roads outside the ground according to the French traffic Minister Jean Claude Gayssot.

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French hope for car-free Paris

Published:January 14th, 1998

The most important test for the new Stade de Nacional in Paris when it opens for the game between France and Spain on January 28th will be in the roads outside the ground according to the French traffic Minister Jean Claude Gayssot.

The new 80,000 seat ground which will host the World Cup Final on July 12th has only room for 6,000 vehicles to be parked at the site and most of the spaces are a long way from the stadium itself. The French hope that 60,000 people will use the public transport system to get to the ground and the system includes a new rail system to reach the stadium from the centre of Paris.

The ground is in the northern suburb of St. Denis and the Ministry will monitor the extent of traffic in the area before the friendly on the 28th to gauge how busy the district will become for the World Cup Finals. Parisian roads are very congested but there is an excellent public transport system in the city and organisers hope that this reputation will ensure that fans will leave their cars at home when they travel to matches in the summer.