“A dishonest and political decision”, denounces Respire

As the air quality of the three cities has improved, they are exempt from the obligation to extend traffic restrictions. “The thresholds measured are still too little above the WHO recommendations,” denounces the association which predicts “health consequences”.

“It is a dishonest and purely political decision,” criticized the president of the Respire association, Tony Renucci, on Wednesday March 20 on Franceinfo. The State authorizes Marseille, Strasbourg and Rouen to allow Crit’Air 3 vehicles to circulate in their Low Emission Zones (ZFE) beyond January 1, 2025, the Ministry of Ecological Transition announced on Tuesday. Normally, the three metropolises were to continue the establishment of their Low Emission Zones (ZFE) by prohibiting the circulation of diesel cars over 14 years old and gasoline cars over 19 years old (Crit’Air 3).

But Marseille, Strasbourg and Rouen have fallen, for the year 2023, below the regulatory air quality thresholds, allowing them to avoid this extension measure which would have concerned a large number of motorists (21% of cars on the road in 2023). “Yes, air quality is improving, but it remains poor and the thresholds measured are still too little above WHO recommendations”points out the president of the association aiming to improve air quality, who emphasizes that lifting the measure will have “automatically have health consequences”. “I think we will pay dearly for it in the long term”he was alarmed.

Each year, air pollution is responsible for 40,000 premature deaths per year, according to Santé Publique France, and it aggravates certain pathologies such as asthma. “I think that the current regulations on Low Emission Zones are no longer adapted to health reality”, he lamented. By the end of the decade, pollution standards will be lowered in Europe from 40 µg/m3 of nitrogen oxide to 20 µg/m3.

There is no control or video-verbalization, according to Respire

“It is up to the government to find solutions, mechanisms that could allow easier access to vehicles with lower emissions”, repeated Tony Renucci. To help with the transition to less polluting vehicles, the government published decrees in the fall of 2023 to facilitate and accelerate the transformation of old vehicles into hybrid vehicles. According to him, “We should have stepped up efforts towards professionals and businesses so that there was a more rapid reconversion and then fueled the second-hand market for individuals”.

Another point raised by the president of the Respire association: the failure to implement controls and sanctions. “There is no control, there is no video-verbalization”he regretted. “Do you know a lot of people without Crit’Air 5 and 4 who don’t drive in Paris?”, he snapped. The Minister of Ecological Transition clarified on Tuesday that radars “would be available at the beginning of 2026” for the metropolises which “would like” in order to check vehicle registration plates and identify polluting cars prohibited from driving.

The low-emission zone (ZFE) system, established by the mobility orientation law (LOM) in 2019, provides restrictive measures for polluting cars where air quality is too degraded. Strict circulation restrictions for polluting vehicles, classified Crit’Air 3 and above, will only concern Paris and Lyon on January 1, 2025. The 41 other metropolises will be able to choose to authorize almost all vehicles to circulate, with the exception of those registered before 1997.