“The ZF-what?” » A few days before its entry into force in the metropolis, this acronym still remains unclear for some Bordeaux residents. However, from 1is Next January, the Low Emission Zone (ZFE) will be operational within the intra-ring perimeter, excluding so-called “unclassified” vehicles.
On the windshield of his Citroën Berlingo, Mikaël has not yet stuck a sticker. “I didn’t know I had to wear one,” confides this young 21-year-old driver. In continuation of the ZFE, from 1is July 2025, the Crit’Air sticker must be affixed to windshields to classify vehicles, from 0 for 100% electric or hydrogen models, to 5 for diesel vehicles dating from 1997 to 2000. “It is a good thing. I hope mine will be well ranked,” adds Mikaël.
Vehicle handle
“I was hot,” breathes Félix. Driver of a 1999 Xantia, classified Crit’Air 5, he saw his vehicle narrowly escape the “unclassified” category, which includes cars registered before 1997. “I’m one of the worst students, jokes the 64-year-old from Bordeaux. I was lucky, and fortunately so because I wouldn’t have been able to afford another one. » However, he remains convinced that this will not last, convinced that the classification criteria will evolve over time: “One day, I will no longer be able to enter Bordeaux with it, I know it. »
Owner of a Ford classified Crit’Air 1, Auriane remains skeptical of the government system. “Anything,” she blurted. “If we really want to improve the air quality in Bordeaux, we should stop doing things by halves. » At 42, the driver criticizes the weakness of the classification criteria, which would only prohibit access to the ZFE to a handful of vehicles, around 11,000 for the city of Bordeaux. “It’s not going to change anything. And by the time the regulations are really applied… It’s not for tomorrow,” she adds. Not for the day after tomorrow either: we will have to wait until 2027 for the first checks.
