Good news, air quality is improving and the cities of Strasbourg, Marseille and Rouen were no longer regularly exceeding air quality standards in 2023. They are therefore no longer required to restrict the movement of vehicles classified Crit’Air 3 in their ZFE (low emission zones), announced Christophe Béchu, the Minister of Ecological Transition.
Yes but no, because for the metropolis of Strasbourg, there is no question of revising the schedule initially planned. The environmentalist majority of the Alsatian Eurometropolis has therefore chosen to maintain the strict ban on Crit’Air 3 stickers until January 1, 2025, and to continue the “educational” phase in progress since January 1, 2024, which does not generate no fines.
These vehicles correspond to Euro 4 diesel cars (or, failing that, date of first registration from 2006 to 2010) and Euro 2 and 3 gasoline cars (or, failing that, date of first registration from 1997 to 2005), or both Euro 2 motorized wheels (or, failing that, date of first registration from July 1, 2004 to 2006).
“We must not play yo-yo every year, we must maintain a course”
In a press release, the town hall reminds “this is only the first year where the new reference station is below the current threshold of 40 µg/m³” nitrogen dioxide (NO2). And to continue: “ATMO Grand Est had also stressed that this improvement was also the result of meteorological factors. In addition, the value recorded for NO2 concentrations (36 µg/m³) is still well above the new threshold set by the air directive of the EU (20 µg/m³), which must be definitively adopted by the European institutions before June, and the WHO guideline value (10 µg/m³3).”
For Alain Jund, the vice-president in charge of mobility for the municipality of Strasbourg, “we must not play yo-yo every year, we must maintain a course. We regret the government’s yo-yo.”
In Marseille and Rouen, on the other hand, vehicles classified Crit’Air 3 should still have a few years of respite. Only the cities of Lyon and Paris, which continue to regularly exceed air quality standards, will therefore be required to apply the planned schedule.