NEWS – The forthcoming introduction of low emission zones by 11 French metropolises is mobilizing the French Federation of Vintage Vehicles.
Low Emission Zones (ZFE), which set traffic restrictions in 11 French cities to increase air quality, fuel all fantasies. There is, however, no need to get carried away and be alarmed. Contrary to what we can read and hear regularly for a few weeks, vintage cars will not be banned from circulation in urban areas on January 1st.
During a telephone point, Jean-Louis Blanc, the president of the French Federation of vintage vehicles, and Laurent Hériou, the general manager, were reassuring, confident that the subject is being followed very closely. particular within the recognized association of public utility. “We only do that”, says Jean-Louis Blanc. And to continue: “We’ll have to be patient. This will take time because the cities, which have decided to set up these low emission zones with the aim of limiting traffic to certain vehicles, will have to deliberate. ”
This does not prevent the two heads of the FFVE from working behind the scenes. “We met the officials of the communities concerned and we can say that the discussions are going well. Metropolises are sensitive to our arguments. From an environmental point of view, our heritage is completely harmless. Collector vehicles do not even represent 1% of the fleet and they hardly drive. Finally, the objective of EPZs is to limit emissions of fine particles and nitrogen oxides, pollutants for which diesels are responsible. However, our fleet is made up of 95% petrol engine vehicles. The old vehicles are also a factor of animation of the territories and they benefit from an immense current of sympathy with the population ”, adds Jean-Louis Blanc.
It is an inescapable fact. Like all European countries, France is called upon to improve the quality of the air breathed in urban areas. Ultimately, local communities, whose pollution level would not improve, risk community and national fines. Thus, within the framework of the mobility orientation law, a decree makes it compulsory to set up low emission zones (ZFE) in the most polluted territories. Eleven communities have already announced that they will set up one or more ZFEs: Paris, the metropolis of Greater Paris, the metropolis of Lyon, Grenoble, Strasbourg, Rouen, Nice, Toulon, Montpellier, Toulouse, the metropolis of Aix-Marseille. Vehicles considered to be the most polluting, that is to say those which emit the most fine particles and nitrogen oxides, are in the crosshairs. It is the Crit’Air sticker that will make it possible to know whether the vehicle can circulate or not within the delimited zone. Since July 2019, the council of the Greater Paris metropolitan area has excluded traffic within the perimeter of the A86 motorway from certain time slots, i.e. 79 municipalities, Crit’Air 5 and unclassified vehicles. On December 1, 2020, the Grand-Paris council voted to extend the measure to vehicles bearing the Crit’Air 4 sticker, as of June 1, 2021. In this context, the FFVE is campaigning for the establishment of a “Collection” sticker.
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