More new relaxations. The State has authorized 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 March 19. This ZFE system was established by the mobility orientation law (LOM) in 2019. It provides for restrictive measures for polluting cars in metropolises where the air quality is too degraded.
The regulatory thresholds for air quality concern the rate of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), the rate of fine particles PM10 and PM2.5), explains the Ministry of Ecological Transition. Standards – defined at European level – which are generally more tolerant than those set by the World Health Organization (WHO), recalls Vie-publique. For example, for nitrogen dioxide, the exceedance threshold is set at 40 μg/m3 compared to 10 μg/m3 recommended by the WHO. Driving bans are established based on the Crit’Air stickers for each vehicle, which are classified from 5 to 0 according to the vehicle’s polluting emissions of fine particles and nitrogen oxides.
:quality(50)/2024/03/22/sans-titre-1-65fdc69b0950d934193915.jpg)
The Climate and Resilience Law of 2021 then specified a progressive timetable for banning the most polluting vehicles: light vehicles classified Crit’Air 5 are prohibited no later than January 1, 2023, Crit’Air 4 no later than January 1, 2024 and Crit’Air 3 no later than January 1, 2025. In the event of an inspection for non-compliance with the ZFE, the fine is class 3, set at 68 euros.
But these obligations were relaxed in July 2023 and March 2024 for many metropolises and allow, if they wish, to avoid extension measures. What are the rules in French towns and cities? Franceinfo takes stock of all the EPZs.
“ZFE territories” obliged to apply the law
There are only two of these metropolises left to be classified as “ZFE territories”: Paris and Lyon. These urban areas regularly exceed regulatory air quality thresholds. They must therefore respect the progressive timetable for banning the most polluting vehicles, including a ban on light vehicles classified Crit’Air 3 no later than January 1, 2025. This concerns diesel cars over 14 years old and gasoline cars over 19 years, representing 21% of cars on the road in 2023.
Greater Lyon. The ZFE extends over several municipalities in the metropolis. The ban on light vehicles classified Crit’Air 5 has been in force since January 1, 2023 and since January 2024 for Crit’Air 4. It is on January 1, 2025 that the ban on driving in the ZFE will take effect for the Crit’Air 3.
Greater Paris. The capital and its immediate suburbs are therefore, with Lyon, a “ZFE territory” where the ban on Crit’Air 3 light vehicles must be effective from January 1, 2025 due to its poor air quality. This ban has already been postponed multiple times. Crit’Air 5s have been banned since July 2019, and since June 2021 the ban concerns Crit’Air 4s. Please note that this ZFE is only active from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. and that there are numerous exemptions for special cases.
The “vigilance territories” where an EPZ already exists and which plan to respect the timetable
In these metropolises, a low emissions zone already exists. However, they are part of the so-called “vigilance territories”. These towns regularly respect the regulatory thresholds for air quality and are therefore not obliged to comply with the law. However, these metropolises wish to apply the progressive schedule a ban on light vehicles classified Crit’Air 3 for January 1, 2025.
Eurometropolis of Strasbourg. The Alsatian metropolis is one of the last urban areas, with Marseille and Rouen, to have been exempt from the obligation to put in place traffic restrictions. The Strasbourg Eurometropolis, however, indicated that despite this exemption, the ban remains planned for January 1, 2025 for light vehicles classified Crit’Air 3. Namely that Crit’Air 5 light vehicles have been prohibited since 2023 and since 2024 for Crit’Air 4. The ZFE applies continuously, seven days a week and 24 hours a day. The entire Eurometropolis is concerned with the exception of certain routes which allow you to bypass the zone.
Grenoble Alpes Métropole. A low-emission zone for private cars and motorized two-wheelers has been gradually implemented, since July 2023, in 13 municipalities in the Grenoble metropolitan area. In January 2024, it concerned in particular Crit’Air 5 and 4 light vehicles. If the government has exempted the agglomeration from further strengthening traffic restrictions, the Grenoble Alpes metropolis intends to extend the ban from January 1, 2025 to Crit’Air 3. She tells franceinfo that “the announced schedule is an obligation of the Atmosphere Protection Plan adopted by the prefect of Isère in December 2022 and continues”.
Montpellier Mediterranean Metropolis. The Montpellier metropolitan area is one of the metropolises which have decided not to postpone the timetable for bans within its ZFE. Crit’Air 3 light vehicles will therefore be banned from January 1, 2025 in eleven municipalities in the metropolis, as is already the case for the Crit’Air 5 and 4. “The main factors in the increase in the number of cancers are air pollution. So indeed, we are committed to staying the course”, explains Julie Frêche, in charge of mobility, to France Bleu Hérault. The metropolis points out that exemptions have however been put in place, notably with a pass and that motorcyclists are completely exempt from the system.
The “vigilance territories” where an EPZ already exists and where application of the calendar is suspended
These metropolises where a low emissions zone already exists are also part of the so-called “vigilance territories”, that is to say that these metropolises regularly comply with regulatory air quality thresholds. These towns have chosen not to apply the measures to extend the ban on movement within their ZFE.
Rouen Métropole Normandy. The urban area’s ZFE concerns Crit’Air 4, 5 and unclassified vehicles. The ban on the Crit’Air 3 will not be put in place from 2025. The metropolis does indeed. “Our work paid off”greeted the mayor of Rouen who absolutely wanted to avoid this ban on his territory.
Greater Reims Urban Community. Since 2022, the ZFE concerns unclassified vehicles, Crit’Air 5 and since 2023 Crit’Air 4 vehicles. On the other hand, the metropolis of Reims will only implement the ban on Crit’Air 3 in January 2029. A five-year moratorium has in fact been put in place for these vehicles because analyzes carried out show that the air quality has improved in Reims.
Aix-Marseille-Provence. Since September 2022, all Crit’Air 5 vehicles have been banned in the ZFE and in Crit’Air 4 since September 2023. On the other hand, for Crit’Air 3, the metropolis is directly affected by the latest executive decision. The metropolis had already announced, at the beginning of February, that it was postponing the extension of the ZFE “sine die”.
Nice Côte d’Azur metropolis. The Nice metropolitan area had planned to implement in particular the ban on Crit’Air 4 light vehicles, unless exempted, in January 2024. But in July 2023, the government allowed the metropolis to relax traffic restrictions. As Actu.fr indicates, Crit’Air 4 light vehicles are no longer affected by the implementation of the ZFE, the perimeter of which includes Old Nice and the Promenade des Anglais, and therefore only concerns Crit’Air 5 and not classified for light vehicles.
Saint-Étienne Métropole. Light vehicles, therefore two-wheelers and private cars, are not affected by the restrictions in the Saint-Etienne metropolis. Only heavy goods vehicles and light utility vehicles (vans, vans) transporting goods are affected by the ZFE restrictions by 2027.
Toulouse Metropolis. Since March 2022, a ZFE has been set up in the Toulouse metropolitan area. It first concerned the most polluting heavy goods vehicles and utility vehicles and was extended to light vehicles classified Crit’Air 4, 5 and unclassified. An extension was planned in 2024 for the Crit’Air 3 but this decision was suspended in October 2023, as indicated by France 3 Occitanie. Indeed, Toulouse is one of the cities where air quality has improved according to the executive, putting an end to the obligation to ban Crit’Air 3.
Clermont Auvergne Métropole. Since July 2023, ZFE has been in force in the territory of Clermont Auvergne Métropole and only concerns the most polluting vehicles, namely those which are not classified Crit’Air (registered before December 31, 1996), as indicated in the newspaper The mountain.
Metropolises where an EPZ will be set up in the future
Since the government’s relaxations of July 2023, the majority of metropolises with more than 150,000 inhabitants can choose to authorize almost all vehicles to circulate, with the exception of those registered before 1997, i.e. so-called vehicles not classified by Crit’Air stickers.
This concerns the metropolises of the following urban areas: Amiens, Angers, Annecy, Annemasse, Avignon, Bayonne, Béthune, Bordeaux, Brest, Caen, Chambéry, Dijon, Douai-Lens, Dunkirk, Le Havre, Le Mans, Lille, Limoges, Metz, Mulhouse, Nancy, Nantes, Nimes, Orleans, Pau, Perpignan, Rennes, Toulon, Towers And Valenciennes.
If some of these metropolises only consider restrictions for unclassified vehicles, others like Lille open the possibility of prohibiting circulation of Crit’Air 5 and/or 4.