Low-emission zones: in which cities Crit’air 3 vehicles will still be able to circulate from 2025 ?

Traffic restrictions for vehicles classified Crit'Air 3 will only concern Paris and Lyon as of January 1, 2025. ILLUSTRATION MAXPPP – Jean-Marc Lallemand

As air quality has improved in three metropolises which were initially concerned by the establishment of low-emission zones (ZFE), the Ministry of Ecological Transition is giving them the choice to ban or not the most polluting old vehicles.

This is a relief for motorists, less good news for public health: the Ministry of Ecological Transition announced this Tuesday March 19 that cities where air quality had improved could choose to let Crit’Air 3 vehicles circulate in their low-emission zones (ZFE) beyond January 1, 2025.

40 000 premature deaths per year

This decision concerns the metropolis of Marsielle, Strasbourg and Rouen, which were to continue the establishment of their ZFEs by prohibiting the circulation of diesel cars over 14 years old and gasoline cars over 19 years old, corresponding to the Crit&amp sticker ;rsquo;Air 3.

The initial objective was to limit road transport pollution, the leading cause of nitrogen oxide emissions in France which generates around 40,000 deaths premature babies per year, according to Santé Pubique France.

🔴 Absence de zone à faible émission à Marseille, Rouen et Strasbourg ➡️ “C'est une décision malhonnête et purement politique. Ils [Le gouvernement] le savent, j'en ai même parlé avec le cabinet du ministre Béchu, il y a encore quelques jours“, explique Tony Renucci. pic.twitter.com/3ALa0ZjaiC

— franceinfo (@franceinfo) March 20, 2024

Paris and Lyon, the only cities concerned

"Yes, the air quality is improving, but it remains poor and the thresholds measured are still too little above the recommendations of the WHO", points out the president of the Respire association, which aims to improve air quality , with our colleagues at Franceinfo. He emphasizes that lifting the measure will automatically have health consequences. "I think we're going to pay dearly for it in the long term", he was alarmed.

If Marseille and Rouen will not apply the ban on Crit’Air 3, it remains mandatory in the ZFEs of Paris and Lyon from the 1st  January 2025.