Paris goes to war on pollution with a ban to drive old cars from the streets

Paris banned old, exhaust-belching cars from its streets on Friday in a new assault on air pollution. Any car registered before January 1, 1997, will be barred from the city’s streets from Monday to Friday, from 8am to 8pm. Some owners protested by parking their vehicles near the National Assembly and Champs Elysees avenue to denounce a ban they say will hurt poor people most and slash the resale value of their vehicles. “I don’t have the means to change vans so I will continue using it, I’ll get fined every week,” said Marc Martin, who uses his ageing Peugeot to deliver picture frames.

And if it goes too far, I’ll close my business, people will lose their jobs, that’s it. What can I say, not much. This law is pathetic

Van driver Marc Martin

The law has been introduced to remove the dirtiest 1.5% of cars which contribute 5% of the pollution from the streets. The ban will also apply to older motorcycles but not to classic cars and it could be extended in 2020 to all cars more than nine years old. After an initial tolerance period, motorists who flout the ban face fines of 35 euros ($39), but that amount will rise sharply from the end of the year.

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