Lyon wants to extend the environmental zone
The already active low emission zone is not enough to keep emissions down on Lyon's roads. So a larger low emission zone is to come into force at the beginning of 2024 and prohibit all vehicles without a sticker - or with sticker 5 - from entering the ZFE. In the coming months, the city will present its plans.
Since January 2020, the French city has had a so-called zone à faibles émissions (ZFE), namely a low-emission zone - which covers almost all districts of Lyon, as well as neighbouring towns within the Laurent Bonnevay ring road. However, the northern ring road (Périphérique Nord) and the so-called sun motorway M6 and M7 are excluded from the driving ban. This should change next year, however, as the Lyon Low Emission Zone is to be extended.
Vehicles from all over Europe wishing to drive through the tunnel under Fourvière have so far not had to worry about having to show a suitable environmental vignette. After the expansion of the low emission zone, they will also have to comply with the low emission zone regulations. In addition to the already existing central environmental zone, the extended ZFE will include the M6 and M7 motorways - and fifteen municipalities bordering Lyon. And ban traffic there for all vehicles without a sticker and with sticker 5. Numerous environmental associations from the region had in fact demanded this several times and had gained the attention of the authorities. The president of the metropolitan authority, Bruno Bernard, is also in favour of including the M6/M7 between Pierre-Bénite and Dardilly in the perimeter of the environmental zone from January 2024 - as well as the Laurent-Bonnevay ring road. Vehicles with the highest pollutant emissions will then have to bypass the agglomeration to the east.
However, not everything is ready for a future expansion of the low emission zone. Some of the municipalities bordering Lyon - such as Bron, Jonage and Décines-Charpieu - recently voted against their inclusion in the expanded environmental zone and oppose the plans. Moreover, it is still unclear how the city intends to implement the stricter regulation at all and what technology, for example, will be used to control which vehicles, due to their emissions, are not allowed to enter the zone. The Lyon city council has not yet officially confirmed the plans for the new environmental zone regulations, but is expected to provide information on the future of the ZFE by the end of this month.
Also not to be forgotten are all the low emission zones already active in France - as well as in the rest of Europe. As always, all information is available on our website and in the Green Zones app.