Heavily polluting diesel vehicles have been banned from low-emissions zones in the greater Paris region as part of new rules that took effect on 1 June.
From 8am to 8pm, cars, trucks and two-wheeled motor vehicles labelled 4 under the Crit’Air sticker system are no longer allowed to be driven on weekdays.
Under Crit'Air, drivers in the Ile-de-France are required to display a numbered, colour-coded marker on their windscreen that indicates their car’s pollution ranking.
The new rules affect diesel-powered cars built before 2006, and those with gasoline engines built before 1997, with fine of 68 euros handed to anyone breaking the law.
Low-emissions zones
The French capital has two permanent low-emissions zones in place: the Greater Paris ZCR and the Central Paris ZCR, which includes the city’s 20 arrondissements.
Encompassing an area of about 815km², the zones includes 131 municipalities that are home to more than 7 million inhabitants.
As part of her plans to make Paris a greener city, Mayor Anne Hidalgo has promised to ban diesel vehicles outright before the city hosts the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Also in her sights are a near-total traffic ban in the central arrondissements.
The European Environment Agency has warned that air pollution is the “the biggest environmental health risk in Europe”, causing increased levels of respiratory issues, lung cancer, heart disease and stroke.
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