Good news, the government has just announced a relaxation of the rules in certain ZFEs from January 1, 2025. While five large French cities were to ban vehicles with a Crit’Air 3 sticker next year, they will only be two finally: Lyon and Paris.
Since January 1, 2024, certain ZFEs have decided to tighten their regulations, in particular prohibiting access to diesel cars manufactured before 2006. Thus, vehicles with a Crit’Air 4 sticker can no longer circulate on the streets of Strasbourg, Lyon and Grenoble.
And of course, it is expected that the rules will tighten further next year, since certain ZFEs will have to prohibit access to Crit’Air 3 vehicles on January 1, 2025 (i.e. Diesel cars over 14 years old and petrol cars over 19 years old). Casually, this measure concerns millions of motorists, the Crit’Air 3 constitute no less than 20% of the French fleet.
The ZFEs of Strasbourg, Aix-Marseille, Lyon, Roue and Paris were notably required to introduce these new rules. But as the government has just announced, some of them will ultimately be dispensed. According to the Ministry of Ecological Transition, the low-emission zones of Strasbourg, Roue and Aix-Marseille finally escape the ax.
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Paris and Lyon remain subject to the new rules
The reason ? The three agglomerations no longer regularly exceed the legal thresholds for nitrogen dioxide. In fact, the concentration of NO2 has fallen below 40 micrograms/m³ in these territories, which therefore demonstrates a notable improvement in air quality. Please note, however, that the ban on Crit’Air 3s will be maintained in Strasbourg for educational purposes. In other words, motorists will be able to drive and will not be under threat of sanction.
“The principle is that when you go below the thresholds, you no longer implement new restrictions, but you apply the ones you have. explains in the columns of Figaro Christophe Béchu, the Minister of Ecological Transition. For Strasbourg, Rouen, Aix-Marseille and “for all the territories which are not in excess of thresholds, and this is the case of 41 agglomerations of more than 150,000 inhabitants out of 43, we can be satisfied with the establishment of the ZFE perimeter and the minimum application of the device”, adds the politician.
Let us remember, however, that air pollution is responsible for 40,000 premature deaths each year per year in France. It is also responsible for the worsening of certain respiratory pathologies, such as asthma in particular.
Source: Le Figaro