The low-emission zone (ZFE) project to limit pollution will ban the center of Toulouse, inside the ring road, from nearly 500,000 vehicles from the current fleet by 2024. Environmental associations want measures to ‘accompaniment …
How to reconcile an active and necessary ecology with the purses of the most modest populations? This question, which triggered the movement of yellow vests against fuel taxes deemed punitive, now underlies all environmental policies against air pollution in the name of a known equation: in addition to vans and heavy goods vehicles, cars which pollute the most are old diesels used by the less fortunate drivers… And when it comes to purifying the air in our big cities, they are the first proscribed. However, after the implementation, three years ago, of the Crit’air sticker system, to alternate or prohibit the circulation of certain vehicles during pollution peaks, the city of Toulouse, like other French metropolises, wants to go further on, by imposing a low emission zone (ZFE) within the limits of the ring road.
Road traffic in the city of Toulouse, inside the ring road, will be considerably reduced.
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“Not everyone will have the capacity to quickly change cars” …
A public consultation just ended on Monday, July 5 to validate a measure, which according to figures from the Ministry of Ecological Transition should ban nearly 500,000 current vehicles from driving in the Pink City by January 1, 2024 When will be official the “banishment” of those, who drive with a sticker number 3 for registrations between 2001 and 2005, that is to say going back more than 20 years. This would exclude between 35 to 40% of the current Toulouse vehicle fleet (100,000 vehicles), or even up to 60% in the suburbs. And these are not the only aid to individuals announced by the government to switch to all-electric, still very expensive, which will ensure the transition. In Toulouse, the town hall has introduced bonuses to promote cleaner travel: up to 5,000 euros for the replacement of a vehicle, and 600 euros for the purchase or rental of a bicycle. “But not everyone will have the ability to quickly change cars, especially in the current period full of uncertainties, underlines a group of 5 Toulouse associations (FNE, 2Pieds 2Roues, UCQ, AUTATE and Rallumons l’Etoile!) . To “succeed in this ZFE without leaving hundreds of thousands of people by the side of the road”, they therefore call on local communities “to bring together an emergency plan to offer new travel solutions” (see opposite). By pleading for a revolution and a reflection on the development of public transport and alternatives to the “car”. All this while remaining pragmatic with modeling the impacts of these EPZs while taking care not to deport pollution to the whole of the agglomeration. It is the least.
Testimonials: “I will not change car”
Monday July 5 marks the end of the public consultation on the ZFE plan. It has been going on since June. From next September, vehicles identified as the most polluting will no longer be able to circulate in downtown Toulouse. The inhabitants of the metropolis remain to be convinced.
First of all, a new car is not for everyone. “Basically, it’s a necessity, but for people who don’t have the means? It is still the poorest who will have difficulties, ”estimates Philippe Tourette, a 52-year-old butcher and owner of a hybrid vehicle.
The first affected in September will be the drivers of vans and heavy goods vehicles. Eric Arabia is an electrical technician but does not consider that he and his van will be too impacted. “It’s restrictive for users, most vehicles are diesel,” describes this 57-year-old Toulouse resident, “but we are moving towards something normal for the environment. I work for a company and it will equip itself with other vehicles ”.
“The transport offer does not follow”
For other Toulouse residents, the public transport network is insufficient. The car of Baptiste Crépaud, a 22-year-old nurse, has been on the road for 17 years. “It’s an old car that is surely in the high emission categories,” he says. Despite this, he remains very attached to it. “I am for the fact that cars are being removed from the city center, but the car is still very useful. The transport offer does not follow, we have to offer solutions. If Tisséo offered more alternatives, that could change something ”.
Charlotte F., 41, echoes this argument. “I will definitely not be changing cars. I live in Route d’Espagne, I am far from transport, I am not comfortable coming back on foot in the evening ”. It also evokes concerns for traders. “A lot of people with money live outside Toulouse, if they don’t come to town they will spend it outside, in shopping centers”.
The ZFE plan will be rolled out gradually until 2024. The metropolis estimates that this will affect 420,000 people.
Do we need an emergency plan for mobility?
The proposals of the group of Toulouse environmental associations allow us to outline what could be the first actions implemented by 2024. On public transport,
this involves in particular setting up integrated pricing for train, metro, tram and bus travel throughout the city, integrating all modes of travel into the route calculators, installing charging stations. purchase of tickets in all hubs of connections and places of frequentation. For the railways, trains run from 6 a.m. to midnight every day, extend the platforms in all stations in order to increase the capacity of trains with double trainsets, create a first line crossing Montauban-Toulouse-Castelnaudary. For the bus, systematically coordinate timetables with trains to offer simple and attractive connections and finally complete the Lineo bus network to create a real express bus network running from 6 am to midnight to cover the entire city. It obviously remains to develop the practice of cycling with an express network and also carpooling. So that city trips are not reserved for the privileged …
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