From January 1, 2025, vehicles classified as Crti'Air3 will be prohibited from driving in the low-emission zones (ZFE) of Greater Paris, Greater Lyon, Montpellier and Grenoble.
In Lyon, where the restrictions will be more severe than elsewhere, the motorists concerned expressed their incomprehension to TF1.
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Lina has just heard the news. From January 1, she will no longer be able to drive her car classified Crit'Air 3 in the Lyon metropolis. “We need it for daily trips, shopping, work, pretty much everything! So I don’t see how I could get another car in a month, it’s completely absurd”whispers the young woman at the microphone of TF1, in the 1 p.m. news report visible above. A further tightening of traffic rules in the low-emission zones (ZFE) of Greater Paris, Greater Lyon, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole and Grenoble Alpes Métropole, which risks immobilizing 3.35 million motorists residing in these urban areas .
In mainland France, 8.84 million people drive these diesel vehicles from before 2011 and gasoline from before 2006, or 21% of the national vehicle fleet, called to join vignettes 4 and 5, already banned for their excessively polluting emissions. , as part of the application of the climate and resilience law. On a Lyon scale, there will be, in total, 1.66 million vehicles, or 31% of the Aurhalpine fleet, which will no longer be able to circulate in a “central perimeter” including the municipalities of Lyon, Caluire-et-Cuire, Villeurbanne , Bron and Vénissieux. And this, seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, unlike Paris and Grenoble, where times (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and dates (week or weekend and public holidays) will fit these prohibitions.
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If, initially, the radars will not be set to punish, the measure remains poorly understood on site. “I think it’s unfair, not everyone can afford a new or recent car”reacts a Lyonnais contacted by TF1. “Of course I’m not happy, but what do you want to do?”asks another, fatalistic. “Analyzes and monitoring by sensors show that metropolitan areas have managed to fall below the authorized regulatory threshold for air pollution… Except Paris and Lyon”replies Vanina Nicoli, secretary general of the Rhône prefecture.
Nobody wants to be the minister who will sanction a fifth, or even a quarter of the population.
Pierre Chasseray, general delegate of the 40 million motorists association
There remains the question of compliance with these regulations. Controls are, for the moment, almost non-existent, and radars for automatic registration plate reading will not be installed until 2026 at the earliest. “No one wants to be the minister who will sanction a fifth, or even a quarter of the populationasks Pierre Chasseray, general delegate of the 40 million motorists association. We are not going to send fines to French people who go to work!” In the metropolis of Lyon, as shown in the report at the top of this article, many vehicles in circulation do not even have any Crit'Air stickers, which already exposes their drivers to a fine of 68 euros…
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Finally, it should be noted that to these difficulties are added the downward review of the ecological bonus and the elimination of certain aid, such as the conversion bonus, for an old vehicle scrapped, or the additional bonus granted to those who live or work in an EPZ. Which prompted the professional union of the French automobile industry, Mobilians, to react in a press release: “To deprive ourselves of these extremely targeted measures in ZFEs, real levers for decarbonization in cities, constitutes an error, at a time when on the contrary they should be maintained, or even strengthened.” And happy new year anyway.
