Paris Poised to Limit Older Cars, Motorcycles

On July 1 Paris will implement a weekday ban on cars sold before October 1997 and motorcycles sold before June 1999. And by 2020, it will bar diesels outright, permitting only electric and gasoline-fueled cars registered no earlier than 2011.

The controversial rules aim to begin bringing Paris into step with other major European cities, such as London, which began taking steps in 2003 to meet EU emission goals, Bloomberg News reports. It says motorized vehicles currently contribute two-thirds of the city air’s nitrogen oxides and half its particulates.

Mayor Anne Hidalgois faces heavy resistance from vehicle owners, but environmentalists say Parisian drivers must accept they are major contributors to the city’s poor air quality. Paris has imposed partial driving restrictions to deal with especially high-pollution periods. It also has agreed to double its number of bicycle lanes.

But so far Paris has rejected schemes to charge special fees for higher-polluting older cars or vehicles from outside the city. It also doesn’t plan to test its first ultra-low-emission-vehicle-only lane until at least 2017. 

Bloomberg notes that the city may face a lawsuit by motorists objecting to a plan beginning July 1 that will fine drivers €35 ($40) for violating traffic restrictions. Retorts Hidalgois, “It’s our collective responsibility to fight pollution.”