an LR mayor of the metropolis of Lyon tackles a “social bomb”, LFI calls for aid

ZFEs which limit the circulation of certain polluting cars have been in place since January 1. In Lyon, the LR mayor of Saint-Priest, a town in the metropolis, denounces a “social bomb” which excludes many vehicles from the circulation. For his part, the deputy for Essonne Antoine Léaument believes that we cannot do ecology without accompanying economic measures.

Since January 1, 2025, ZFEs, Low Emission Zones, have restricted vehicle circulation in 43 major cities in France. In certain zones, the ZFEs, therefore, the oldest cars, with a Crit'Air 3 sticker or more, can no longer be driven to limit pollution and improve air quality.

But the rules are not the same depending on where you live. In Paris, more than 400,000 individuals and nearly 60,000 professionals are affected by this ban on Crit'Air 3 vehicles between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays.

68 euros fine

To put it simply, diesel vehicles registered before 2011 and gasoline vehicles registered before 2006 are affected by the ban. Same thing in Lyon, the poor air quality having forced the authorities of the two cities to take new measures.

In Montpellier and Grenoble too, class 3 vehicles can no longer circulate, an initiative of the two cities which were not obliged to do so.

For offenders, there is a fine of 68 euros, but don't panic in the first weeks or even months, education will be required.

“30% of vehicles from Saint-Priest will no longer be able to access Lyon”

“It’s the new Happy New Year gift from the metropolis of Lyon for our residents,” quips Gilles Gascon, the LR mayor of Saint-Priest in the suburbs of the city of Gauls and who has little taste for the establishment of ZFEs . “30% of vehicles in the Saint-Priest area will no longer be able to access the city of Lyon,” adds the elected official.

However, he assures us, the ZFE “is going in the right direction” but the environmentalists at Lyon town hall go beyond what the law requires: “Integrating the structuring roads that make up the outskirts of Lyon was not obligatory” , plagues Gilles Gascon who argues that pollution is already falling before the ZFEs come into force. “It’s an ecological and social bomb,” he adds.

How to reconcile ecology and economic means?

And while there are multiple exemptions, the mayor of Saint-Priest denounces an electoral decision and pleads for local adjustments.

For his part, the LFI deputy for Essonne Antoine Léaument believes that ZFEs must be accompanied by measures to allow people to change vehicles: “We have created a world that only works with cars but the work zones are far away. housing. We must succeed in reconciling the two. We need a popular ecology with economic means,” he proclaims on RMC.

These means include increasing the minimum wage, argues l'Insoumis: “It's an ecological measure. When you increase the minimum wage, you have additional tools so that people buy organic, local products and it also works for cars,” assures the MP.