Name of the environmental zone: Environmental zone ZPA Nancy - France
Date of entry into effect of the zone: 01-01-2018
Type of environmental zone: Zone of air protection, depending on weather conditions and activated after an early warning stage, if the pollutant values exceed, for example, > 50 µg/m³ for particulate matter and following the prefect’s decision.
Not allowed to drive (temporarily): Vehicles without a badge and vehicles with insufficient badge class, depending on the level and duration of the air pollution peak. The badge classes 4 and 5 could be banned from traffic.
Not allowed to drive (permanently): Information currently unavailable
Fines: 68-450 €
Area/extension of the environmental zone: The 20 municipalities of the Nancy metropolis are affected:
Art-sur-Meurthe, Dommartemont, Essey-lès-Nancy, Fléville-devant-Nancy, Heillecourt, Houdemont, Jarville-la-Malgrange, Laneuveville-devant-Nancy, Laxou, Ludres, Malzéville, Maxéville, Nancy, Pulnoy, Saint-Max, Saulxures-lès-Nancy, Seichamps, Tomblaine, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, Villers-lès-Nancy.
Except the A31, A33 and A330 motorways to the south of the interchange, junction A33/A330.
Contact of the environmental zone and exceptions: Information currently unavailable
Exemptions: Information currently unavailable
Environmental zone ZPA
Do I need stickers or registrations?
If there is a peak in air pollution and the ZPA zone is activated, each affected vehicle requires a valid French environmental sticker (Certificat qualité de l'Air) to enter the low emission zone. Otherwise, a fine of between 68 euros and 375 euros is to be expected.
You can find out whether a ZPAd zone is active and which vignette is affected by the driving ban in our Green-Zones App.
What is a ZPA zone?
ZPA zones ("zones de protection de l'air") do not apply permanently, but are only active during bad weather and high air pollution. They can cover the areas of entire large municipalities (known as "metropolitan areas" in French) or a specific geographical area. The outlines of each air protection zone are therefore precisely defined in advance.
Since ZPA zones are only valid in the event of a peak in air pollution, the traffic restrictions laid down in a decree only apply if predefined air pollution limits are exceeded. In this case, certain vignette colours are excluded from traffic in order to reduce pollutant emissions. For each air protection zone, recommendations have been drawn up in advance as to which vignette colours should be excluded in the event of severe air pollution. However, in the specific case of air pollution this is always decided by the prefect of the department first.
The mostly large ZPA air protection zones within a department are usually not signposted. In the 95 departments of continental France, it is therefore almost impossible for non-residents to see the exact extent of a ZPA air protection zone. In accordance with article R411-19 of the French Road Code, the decision to create an air protection zone and to define the local rules applicable there falls to the prefect of each department. Once the ZPA zone has been decided, it is legally published in a décret issued by the prefect.
The traffic restrictions decided in a CPA do not come into force on the same day as they are announced. They are usually announced in the afternoon or evening for the following day. The driving bans then apply throughout the ZPA. In case there is an urban ZCR zone within the ZPA zone, its rules are overridden during an air pollution peak. Only after the end of the air pollution peak will the permanent traffic restrictions for vignette categories apply again within the ZCR zone.
How do I recognize the low emission zone?
ZPA zones are only activated temporarily. The size and dimensions of the zone are completely individual. This is determined by the respective prefect, depending on the intensity of air pollution. Therefore there are no special signs for ZPA zones.
The situation is different for the ZFE zones. There, the beginning and the end of the environmental zones are marked with signs. This shows a red circle as prohibition sign with the remark "Zones à Circulation Restreinte" (Restricted Zone). Who exactly is allowed to enter or not is not indicated by the entry sign.
In our Green Zones App we have a detailed map of each low emission zone. So you can easily see the boundaries and avoid penalties.
Are there other low emission zones in France?
Yes, a lot of them. France has over 30 different environmental zones. These differ in ZFE (permanent), ZPA (temporary) and ZPAd (temporary département) zones.
In our Green Zones App we have gathered together all the low emission zones in Europe and presented them clearly.
Good to know...
All current driving bans and further information are available in our Green-Zones App.
Environmental zones as lifesavers
About 400,000 people in Europe die every year as a result of air pollution. Environmental zones are already helping to make the air cleaner. But the limits set by the World Health Organisation are still far from being met.
Air pollution remains high
Air pollutants have decreased less than initially estimated due to the Corona pandemic. Favourable weather conditions also played a role. This year, therefore, an increase is very likely and could spur driving bans again.
Corona supports diesel driving bans
The pandemic is also hitting the automotive industry hard. Filter systems for old diesel vehicles could not be installed last year as planned. So the dirty diesel vehicles continue to contribute to bad air and make diesel driving bans inevitable.
Paris relies on video surveillance
Controls in the Paris Low Emission Zone are to be automated this year. Drivers who enter the Paris metropolitan area with an unauthorised sticker can then be identified and penalised by camera systems.
Saudi Arabia plans 170 km long environmental zone
A green city of millions is to be built on the Red Sea, where there are no conventional roads and cars are completely banned. The project is controversial, but it could be a blueprint for the mobility revolution in large cities in Europe as well.
Hypocritical capital: Berlin relies on dirty diesel buses
The city is getting 291 new buses. All of them run on diesel engines. This contradicts the promise of the Green Senator for the Environment to ban all internal combustion vehicles from the city by 2030.
Cleaner air through driving
A new technology could soon use cars as mobile air filters. These would clean the city air while driving and could thus prevent impending diesel driving bans.
Eco-lanes en masse
The French bus and taxi lanes are to be opened to all electric motorbikes in future. The aim is to encourage more people to buy electric vehicles.
The end of plug-in hybrids is approaching
High subsidies for plug-in hybrids will soon only be available for vehicles that can drive at least 60 km in pure electric mode. This could mean an end to the hype surrounding these vehicles in Germany.
Stuttgart: Diesel driving bans on the brink of extinction?
Last year, nitrogen oxide levels in the Neckar valley remained below the limit value for the first time. The plaintiffs, who have been campaigning for better air for years, see this as only a partial success, however. The readings could, however, have an impact on driving bans in the city.