Daily driving restrictions won’t fix Paris’ soupily fouled air, said Murray Thomson, a mechanical and industrial engineering professor at the University of Toronto who has worked in the French city seeking solutions for diesel engine emission-caused pollution.

Shocking photos have turned the spotlight on Paris’ pollution woes: the boulevards of the City of Light looking more like heavily polluted streets of Beijing and the Eiffel Tower obscured by thick haze. It’s caused by a combination of weather and diesel engines, as cold nights and warm days trap particles spewed from too many vehicles running on diesel fuel.

Parisians need to break off their love affair with the car while governments have to stop giving tax breaks to diesel, which is cheaper to buy than gasoline, Thomson pointed out. A European Union emission regulation (Euro6) that all diesel vehicles come equipped with particle filters comes into law in September, 2014 but that impact could take years to be felt, he adds.

“The pollution you’re seeing in photos is due to small particles and a major source for those is diesel exhaust,” explained Thomson, who was posted at the French National Centre for Scientific Research on alternative fuels and air pollution.

Paris took drastic measures to combat its worst air pollution in years, banning around half of the city’s cars and trucks from its streets Monday in an attempt to reduce the toxic smog that’s shrouded the city for more than a week.

Cars with even-numbered license plates were prohibited from driving in Paris and its suburbs, following a government decision over the weekend. Taxis and commercial vehicles weren’t covered by the ban which was lifted for Tuesday’s commute.

Drivers who defied the curbs were fined 22 euros ($31) on the spot.

Around 700 police staffed 179 control points around the region, handing out tickets to nearly 4,000 offenders by noon, while 27 drivers had their cars impounded for refusing to cooperate with police. Taxis and commercial vehicles weren’t covered by the ban.

Thomson said a heavy rain or even a gusty wind would help clear the air in the short term. But longer-view solutions are needed.

Nils-Axel Braathen, Paris-based principle administrator in the environmental directorate with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said the air seemed less polluted Monday evening but was far from clear.

“It’s a short-term measure and one of the few they could take to have an impact in a very quick way,” said Braathen of the driving restrictions. “It’s definitely not my preferred long-term solution (which is) gradually increasing the tax rate on diesel to make it on par with petrol. We have for years agued that something ought to be done about the tax preference France gives to diesel.”

New registrations of French cars in 2012 were 67% diesel-powered compared with western European average of 53.3%, Reuters reported.

The level of particulate matter that can cause respiratory problems and general discomfort when inhaled, reached a level of about 140 micrograms per cubic meter in Paris last week, according to French and European measurements. That’s well above the official “alert” level of 80.

The smog could also be bad for the health of the tourist industry.

“What’s very important for Paris is visibility, it’s a huge issue,” Thomson points out. “People go to Paris as a tourist place. If they are standing at Montmartre and can’t see the Eiffel Tower, that’s bad.”

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It was the first time since 1997 that the emergency measure was taken. If the pollution persists, odd-numbered vehicles will be banned on Tuesday. Public transport has been made free for a fourth day to help deal with the pollution.