Eric Piolle, environmental mayor of Grenoble, guest of franceinfo, warns that France must change its regulations on Low Emission Zones (ZFE), otherwise “it will be the same scandal as for asbestos”.
While the consultation committee on Low Emission Zones (ZFE) is due to deliver its verdict on Monday July 10, the environmentalist mayor of Grenoble, Eric Piolle, warns that “if we do nothing it will be the same scandal as for asbestos“.
Guest of franceinfo, Eric Piolle, recalls that since July 1 he has set up a low-emissions zone aimed at eventually banishing the most polluting vehicles from the Grenoble metropolis. Vehicles equipped with the Crit’Air 5 sticker, the most polluting, can no longer drive there. “Every January 1st, the level of requirement increases“, specified the elected official, adding that on January 1, 2024, “vignettes 4 will be banned from traffic“.
“There is, from my point of view, a total absence of strategy on the part of the State”, he lambasted, denouncing the will of the State to put “in the front line” local elected officials to do not raise the specter of a return of “yellow vests”.
Eric Piolle, ecologist mayor of Grenobleat franceinfo
In their report, submitted Monday, July 10 on behalf of the association of elected France Urbaine, the various right-wing mayor of Toulouse Jean-Luc Moudenc and the vice-president of the Eurometropolis of Strasbourg Anne-Marie Jean list 25 measures for a application “more just” And “more consistent“Low Emission Zones (ZFE). The working group, made up of elected officials in particular, is asking”to the State to double aid to the most modest people”.
“There is tension because it is both the most modest who suffer from this pollution and on the other side, there is social tension on travel, the need for travel“, explained the EELV mayor of Grenoble. “There has to be social justice“, he insisted. The environmentalist councilor suggested redefining the sticker to take into account the weight of the vehicle, and thus penalize vehicles of the SUV type in particular, “huge vehicles that make no sense for the climate“, he pinged. “It’s complicated to tell people that they can’t use their car anymore because it’s old, when you’re going to see a two-tonne vehicle that’s in the nails in terms of pollution“, underlined the chosen one, adding that “it creates an injustice that is very strong“.
For Eric Piolle, who is in line with the conclusions of Jean-Luc Moudenc’s report, the Crit’Air sticker criteria must evolve to take into account the “air pollution” and not just the age of the vehicle.
The mayor of Grenoble asks for aid to buy clean vehicles
Among the proposals mentioned by the mayor of Grenoble, those of “massively increase state aid“to promote the purchase of clean vehicles and”that aid is not reserved only for the very poor, but also for the middle classes“.
Another track,create one-stop shops run by intermunicipal authorities because there are starting to be helpers from everywhere“, he explained. Finally, the elected EELV suggests extending the ZFE to other municipalities around the metropolises. “When you look at the metropolis of Grenoble, there are 100,000 vehicles returning from neighboring areas because they come there for their health, for their job, for their leisure, for lots of activities. But today, these neighboring territories find themselves undergoing the low emission zone, but having none of the aid devices that are put inside“, which can go up to 3,000 euros in the case of Grenoble.