The ban on Crit'Air 3 private vehicles on January 1, 2025 once again marks a significant shift for 11% of the greater Lyon vehicle fleet. However, the biggest wave has not yet been crossed. The Capital of Gaul remains, with Paris, the only French city concerned by the timetable for the application of the Climate and Resilience law, aimed in particular at limiting the circulation of the most polluting vehicles.
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As of January 1, 2028, private and professional vehicles classified Crit'Air 2 (diesels registered from 2011 and gasoline between 2006 and 2010) should in turn be prohibited in this Low Emission Zone (ZFE-m) comprising five municipalities, the ring road and the M6-M7 axes. A schedule already relaxed by the environmental executive of the Metropolis of Lyon two years ago, which initially planned a ban in 2026.
A “wave” expected in three years
This stage, currently scheduled in three years, remains the most feared. To date, it would concern approximately 70% of the stock declared by professional members of the Lyon Rhône Chamber of Trades and Crafts (CMA). It is in fact “ the highest step for professionals », illustrates Jean-Charles Kohlhaasvice-president of Greater Lyon, delegate for travel, intermodality, but also for logistics and transport of goods in the city.
« Unlike individuals, professionals almost exclusively own Crit'Air 2s. There are very few gasoline-powered utility vehicles or heavy goods vehicles. Most are diesel and a few are electric. », notes the elected official, member of the Europe Ecologie les Verts party.
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Of the 110,000 professional vehicles circulating in the Lyon metropolitan area (around 80% utility vehicles and 20% heavy goods vehicles), nearly 93% are in fact classified “Crit'Air 2 and below”, depending on the community. The Crit'Air 0 represent only a small share and are mainly represented by large logistics companies such as La Poste (22,000 electric utility vehicles in France) or the heavy goods vehicles of DB Schenker.
Conversion: craftsmen warn about the cost of electricity
For the craftsmen interviewed by the CMA Lyon Rhône (Chamber of Trades and Crafts) in recent months, the biggest downside remains the price of electric utility vehicles, in a market which is slowing down. The craftsmen say they are particularly constrained by their prohibitive cost, representing double those of thermal vehicles – or “spending from 18 to 35,000 euros” for a Citroën Berlingo type utility vehicle. “ In the current atmosphere, treasuries are rather tight. The main obstacle is the cost », maintains Christophe Bernollin, president of the CMA Lyon Rhône.
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Greater Lyon offers support for professionals of up to 3,000 euros for the purchase of a cargo bike, 5,000 euros for an electric or CNG light utility vehicle, or 10,000 euros for an electric or CNG heavy goods vehicle. This, with a bonus of €1,000 for subscribing to a gas or electricity supply contract from renewable sources. This aid could until then be combined with the State's ecological bonus, but the Barnier government reversed this by decree at the end of November.
“The aid can support a little, but the choice not to buy a vehicle at 35,000 euros is not a matter of 5,000 euros… The company which is used to buying used vehicles at 10 or 12,000 euros maximum, she cannot find her way,” adds Christophe Bernollin.
A “Crit’Air 2 damping” exemption
This representative of Rhône artisans also highlights other issues to be resolved before 2028: the shortage of certain new or used electric vehicles, but also the slow deployment of charging points, sometimes forcing employees to recharge their vehicles at home.
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“For the moment, companies are doing the best they can with the means they have. They're trying to juggle, it's not easy. The crux of the matter remains cash flow, which is particularly tight at the moment. Some then develop their clientele elsewhere.
And then, there is also the problem of employees who come to work in these companies,” adds Christophe Bernollin.
Aware of these issues, the Métropole de Lyon indicates that it is implementing a “Crit’Air 2 depreciation” exemption. “ That is to say that for a vehicle classified 2 purchased recently, the circulation limit will no longer be 2028, but a little later, to avoid scrapping a recent vehicle », Indicates Jean-Charles Kohlhaas. But the measure is still little known.
A boom in cargo bikes and windfall effects
Others also choose the cargo bike for their trips in the heart of Lyon. It even represents the vast majority of aid distributed by Greater Lyon to artisans and SMEs, in its envelope of 3.5 million euros dedicated to conversion in 2024. “ A significant amount of the envelope goes towards cargo bikes and not electric utility vehicles, and even less heavy goods vehicles, because the offer is not extraordinary », adds Jean-Charles Kohlhaas.
« There are a lot of artisans, small craft businesses inside the ZFE. We have such saturation of roads that the cargo bike is more efficient than the small utility vehicle ».
However, the Metropolis is ready to adapt: “ We have liberal professions who took the opportunity to buy a cargo bike, in which there is little chance that they will transport goods… We are in the process of reviewing the aid regulations to readjust this offer to certain companies based on their SIRET or NAF code ».
Park-and-ride facilities, yes, but “in the right places” according to the Metropolis
Another sticking point: the network of public transport (metro, tramway, bus) and park and ride facilities, dedicated to modal shift. The issue concerns the entire periphery. Located at the entrance to Greater Lyon, the Porte de l'Isère urban community (Capi) and its 14,000 “Crit'Air 3” for 111,000 inhabitants, says it is particularly concerned and attentive: it is in fact home to the first logistics platform of France with its 300 companies, in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier (Isère), and sees nearly 15,000 employees traveling every day.
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Jean-Charles Kohlhaas adds for his part that “ park and ride facilities must respond to a very specific demand “. The elected official insists on the importance of building them outside the metropolis and at its gates, rather than in the heart of the city.
Stating that “ the turnaround time for taking public transport generally corresponds to a maximum of a third of the time ».
A park and ride facility opened last year at the southern entrance to Lyon and metro B, in Oullins-Pierre-Bénite. Very quickly, it was occupied at least “two-thirds” by people who lived less than 2 kilometers away, notes the community, which thus reserved several floors for residents outside this perimeter. A new parking lot, further from the center of the metropolis, in Saint-Germain-au-Mont-d'Or, should also see the light of day in 2025.
