Low emission zones in France: Beware of fines!
Starting this year, entering many French cities can be expensive for motorists. This is because more and more traffic offenders are being caught in the environmental zones due to automatic radar checks.
From January 2023, there will be 11 environmental zones in France where certain categories of vehicles will face driving bans. Cities with more than 150,000 inhabitants have until 2025 to set up environmental zones - called "Zone à faibles émissions" (ZFE) in France - to protect residents and the environment from air pollution. Drivers have hardly any options to circumvent the imposed driving bans. This is because control is no longer solely in the hands of the police and the public order office.
Instead, traffic in the environmental zones is controlled by automatic radar devices that read licence plates and compare them with the database of environmental badges required for driving. Since the system of fines is no longer based on spot checks, any vehicle that violates the rules of the environmental zone is immediately caught in the act. The police then check the legality of the offence before serving the driver with the fine notice. According to the Ligue de Défense des Conducteurs (LDC), the Directorate-General for Infrastructure, Transport and Mobility (DGITM) is planning another test phase of the radar devices for the end of 2024 in order to optimise the control and fine system in view of the expansion of the active environmental zone network. According to the plans of the transport authorities, in 2025 there will be a total of 43 cities where access for vehicles through the environmental zone will be restricted and automatically controlled.
In case of violations, the fine system of the new radar system is not exactly squeamish. Anyone driving in French cities can expect to be fined in the following cases in particular: if they drive an unregistered vehicle in a low emission zone, if they drive in a low emission zone without a vignette - and finally, if they do not comply with any regulations on differentiated traffic during peak loads. In these cases, a 3rd class ticket of 68 euros is issued. However, this amount may be reduced or increased depending on the time of payment. Lorries, on the other hand, are fined a 4th class fine of approximately 135 euros for infringements.
A total of 13 million vehicles registered before January 2006 (diesel) or January 2011 (petrol) and bearing a French sticker 3, 4 or 5 are affected. Specifically, from January of this year, a driving ban will apply to vehicles with a 5 sticker. From January 2024, it will then be extended to vehicles with a 4 sticker - and from 1 January 2025 at the latest, also to vehicles with a category 3 environmental sticker.
Not to be forgotten by then are all the already active low emission zones in France - and in the rest of Europe. As always, all information is available on our website and in the Green Zones app.