Lyon’s EELV town hall recently voted for a two-year delay in its ZFE, while two NUPES MPs want the Montpellier ZFE completely abolished. Recently, the boss of the Communists, Fabien Roussel, called for this “come back” in low-emission zones in large agglomerations.

But why this step back on this measure, which is supposed to be ecological first and foremost? Elected officials have advanced several arguments, including the fact that these ZEPs will create a certain social division. Therefore, the poorest sections of the population, who cannot buy “cleaner” cars because of their price, are penalized, unlike the richest, who can adapt to the legislation and equip themselves with less polluting and acceptable cars.

🗣 Greater Lyon postpones the application of its ZFE ➡️ “It is a social bomb. It punishes the poorest”, – criticizes Fabien Roussel. “We should allow the French to buy cheap electric cars.” He wants to “make public transport free”. pic.twitter.com/PHSqRKYU5I

— franceinfo (@franceinfo) February 27, 2023

“Social bomb”

We remind you that the low emission zone (formerly known in France as the restricted circulation zone (ZCR) an urban area to which access is reserved for the least polluting vehicles.

In France, access to these zones is determined by air quality certificates, better known as the Crit’Air sticker. The August 2021 law makes the establishment of a ZFE mandatory in all urban areas with a population of more than 150,000 by 31 December 2024. Therefore, they will apply 45 most densely populated agglomerations in the metropolis of France.

Thus, there have been voices against these famous EPZs for the past few months. According to several politicians, these areas can have a catastrophic social effect if the most modest cities are excluded.

“This is a social bomb because today ten million motorists who have Crit’Air 3, 4 or 5 vehicles will be banned from driving”– Fabien Roussel was indignant, after he welcomed the decision of the metropolis of Lyon “postpone for two years” its application.

Will other cities be inspired by Lyon?

On the part of Lyon City Hall, while the ZFE calendar called for a ban on vehicles with the Crit’air 2 sticker for 2026 (that is, all diesel cars on the market without exception, as well as gasoline vehicles put into circulation before 2011), the president of the metropolis, Bruno Bernard, announced about postponing the event, which should not be finally applied before 2028.

Here again, the argument of social division hits the mark, and all political parties seem to be generally on the same page on this level.

The Ministry of the Environment of the Lyon agglomeration indicates, in particular, the social impact of the ban on the circulation of diesel vehicles for the most modest motorists, as well as craftsmen, as well as the companies that are mainly equipped with them, and who will therefore soon no longer have access to the center the capital of Gaul.

Lyon is currently the exception to this report, but several current debates may well make other French cities reconsider the propriety of the measure.

At the moment, cities such as Lyon, Marseille, Lille or Strasbourg are only at the beginning, but for Greater Paris, the measures are already much stricter, as vehicles with the Crit’Air 2 sticker should be banned there next year. . And Métropole du Grand Paris has not yet announced the possible postponement of this event.