New environmental zones and driving bans in July 2022

Denmark: 

Since the beginning of the year, the new Green Zone rules in Denmark have already been active for trucks and buses, allowing only Euro 6 vehicles with a registration year after January 2015 to enter. From 1 July 2022, the regulations for vans (N1) will also become stricter. From then on, these will need Euro 5 with a registration year after January 2012. All Euro 5 vans registered before this date will have to register manually instead, as well as vehicles with a particulate filter. This is the only way they will be able to stay legally in the Low Emission Zone.  In the cities of Aalborg, Aarhus, Copenhagen and Odense, they could otherwise face a fine of up to 1,700 euros.  

Sweden: 

On 1 July, the requirement for cars, minibuses and vans in the Stockholm Hornsgatan low emission zone will become stricter. Only vehicles with Euro 6 will be allowed to drive on Hornsgatan street in the city centre. Unaffected by the tightening will instead be the traffic of all petrol and gas-powered vehicles, for which compliance with Euro 5 emission requirements will continue to be sufficient.  

France:  

Grenoble  

Since February 2020, an all-day Low Emission Zone (ZFE) has been in place for the 27 municipalities of the Grenoble metropolitan area. As part of the progressive introduction of the driving ban, the regulations will become stricter from 01.07.2022. Vehicles of classes N1, N2, N3, which have a sticker 3, will now be excluded from entering the zone. Previously, the ban only extended to vehicles in categories N1, N2 and N3 if they displayed sticker 4 and sticker 5 - or no French sticker.  

Montpellier 

Montpellier will also have an environmental zone from 1 July. It will include the municipalities of Montpellier, Castelnau-le-Lez, Clapiers, Grabels, Jacou, Juvignac, Lattes, Le Crès, Pérols, Saint-Jean-de-Védas and Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone. However, to ensure the flow of traffic, some roads within the low emission zone will remain open to all vehicles. Also excluded from the regulation are the industrial parks of Courpouyran (Juvignac), La Condamine, La Lauze Est (Saint Jean de Védas), Garosud, La Restanque and Charles Martel (Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone). Driving bans for M1 vehicles without stickers will apply in the Low Emission Zone, both for classes L, N1, N2, N3 without stickers and with sticker 5. This will affect, at least until the end of the first phase in December 2022, only cars first registered before 31 December 1996. 

Car-free Sundays in Paris and Bordeaux  

However, new or tightened environmental zones are not the only traffic restrictions active in France that motorists should be aware of. Since 2020, Paris has been organising car-free Sundays. Also in July, on 03.07.2022, no cars will be able to pass through the affected area. Arrondissements 1, 2, 3 and 4 will be affected, and cars will not be allowed to enter the city centre north of the banks of the Seine. From the Place de la Concorde in the west to the Place de la Bastille in the east, the streets will be free of cars between 10 am and 6 pm. The Champs-Élysées is also partially affected.  

Bordeaux has also been following the capital's example since last year and converts part of the urban area into a car-free zone once a month. Just like in Paris, the ban applies in winter from 10 am to 6 pm. In summer, from March to October, the car-free zone is even valid until 7 pm. Like the times, the zone affected by the driving ban changes slightly depending on the month. From January to March, the city centre west of the Garonne River is car-free from the Allées de Chartres in the north to the Cours d'Alsace et Lorraine in the south. From April to December, the zone is extended by several streets, both in the north and in the south of the city.  

Those planning to travel in France, Denmark or Sweden in July should be prepared for the new low emission zone regulations and temporary driving bans. Of course, you can also find all the new low emission zones with the rules in the Green-Zones app.