Last year, France wanted to put its money where its mouth is. The state obliged all large cities with high air pollution to set up a permanent environmental zone, abbreviated in French as ZFE. Not all cities are on schedule with their plans. There are a number of cities that keep postponing the introduction.
At the beginning of this year, some innovations were introduced in France. For example, the environmental zones in Strasbourg and Rouen were considerably enlarged. Since 1 January 2022, you also have to pay fines in Reims for entering the low emission zone without authorisation.
In Paris, on the other hand, as well as in Strasbourg, drivers still have a grace period of one year before they are asked to pay. The reason for this, at least in the capital, is the lack of automatic readers, which are not due to be installed until later this year. In addition, the French sticker 3 will not be banned there in the course of 2022, but only next year.
In Lille, there should have been a permanent low emission zone for a long time, but implementation is still a long time coming. The background is that due to the new national laws, the original plans for the zone in Lille have to be revised, but this has not happened yet.
The same applies to Toulouse, where the permanent low emission zone was already planned last year. However, even though the appropriate signs have already been erected in the city, this low emission zone also does not yet have a fixed introduction date.
Since the end of January, however, there has been a new low emission zone in Saint-Etienne. There was already a temporary low emission zone (ZPA), which can be activated by the prefect during pollution peaks. But now there is also a permanent zone in the city west of Lyon. Here, vans and trucks that are used exclusively for commercial purposes and do not have a French sticker on their windscreen are no longer allowed to drive. Motorbikes and vehicles belonging to private individuals, however, continue to have free passage.
Nice now also has a permanent low emission zone: since the end of January, buses and trucks heavier than 3.5 tonnes are no longer allowed to drive there. The city centre and the boulevards on the coast are affected: Promenade des Anglais, Quai des Etats-Unis and Quai Rauba Capeu. Vehicles without a sticker and with a sticker 5 are banned.
In Montpellier in the south of the country, phase 1 of a permanent low emission zone will come into force from 1 July 2022. Montpellier is one of the dirtiest municipalities in France. Ten municipalities around Montpellier are participating in this first step. After five years, the remaining 21 municipalities that make up the Montpellier agglomeration will join. This year, all lorries, vans and motorbikes without a French sticker or with a sticker 5 will be banned from traffic, while passenger cars will be allowed to drive with a sticker 5 for another year. Every year, the rules will become stricter and another sticker will be banned. By 1 January 2028, only sticker 1 and the sticker for emission-free engines, i.e. electric and hydrogen, will be permitted.
Marseille is also one of the cities that will have to introduce a permanent low emission zone because of the persistent pollution. But for the time being, there is disagreement about the extension of the zone. Therefore, the population will be asked until 24 March. The results will then be used in the design of the low emission zone.
Paris and Bordeaux: Next Sunday, 6 February 2022, both cities will again have a car-free zone. In Bordeaux, this concerns the city centre, which will be closed to motorised traffic until 19h in spring and summer. In Paris, the driving ban applies to the entire city centre within the ring road from 10-19h. In the first four arrondissements, the speed limit is 20km/h, otherwise 30km/h for vehicles that are allowed to enter: taxis, buses, ambulance services.