Pollution disc for driving in French cities - Update July 2018

I’ve read this on the RAC website

http://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/law-change-for-uk-drivers-in-french-cities/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CHUB_PROSPECTS_W12017-02-01_140028_6575764&cid=eml-email-CHUB_PROSPECTS_W12017-02-01_140028_6575764-Drive_NL_PROSP_2nd_Feature_CTA

Is it really happening, or is it words only ?

Ta

Think there is already a topic discussing this, but yes, it’s real.

The French Government site has all the details …

The FAQ is in French and English…

https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/en/foire-aux-questions

another useful site:

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https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/

Top right hand corner : French or English

Just out of interest, and slightly off topic, but does anyone know how it works in London? I know there’s the pollution zone, where all the roads going into London have signs saying that beyond that point you have to have paid the pollution tax or something - a couple of years ago my blinking satnav took me too close in and I had to turn round as soon as I could and go back, wasn’t sure what penalties I might incur. But the roads in central London seem incredibly car free these days, mainly just taxis and EVs, and you even see empty parking spaces - none of the double parked cars everywhere that you used to see. I’d be interested to know how they achieved that? Hard to believe it’s all a result of a tax, or if it is it must be astronomcially high.

London has the congestion charge but does it have pollution restrictions for all vehicles? Last time I was in that area it was only >3.5 tonnes.
A few years ago I was driving into London on the A13 with my son. As I didn’t understand the congestion charge I stopped in a layby that was posted as having an information board. The wording of the restrictions was so confusing that I, an educated Englishman, couldn’t understand them. What a non English speaker would make of them I don’t know. The sentence I particularly liked was, 'These restrictions apply during the working week (including the weekends). Luckily, at the time we were heading to Greenwich which was outside the restriction zone anyway so I didn’t need to try to make sense of it all. There were many ways to pay before or after entering the zone and I’m sure if I actually needed to find out more it will be on the Internet. Luckily I will never need to know. It’s like that in Paris for me too as there will never be a need for me to go inside the périphérique. A bigger worry for me will be if/when Rouen adopts the system as I might do a return trip through there once every two or three years but at worst, I would need to make a small detour.
I used a similar system for years when I lived in Germany. I did need my vignette to enter Düsseldorf which I did fairly frequently but there the park and ride systems were so efficient they were a viable alternative anyway.

“Low emissions zone” is what it says on the signs as you approach London, I’ve just remembered.
I have in the past tried to google it but it seemed awfully complicated, was just thinking that someone on here might live/have lived in London and know how it works in practice.

All you need to know about the London low emission zone

Thanks, I note Paris, Lyon and Grenoble are the only ‘live’ requirements at the moment, but reading that "As many as 22 other French towns have signalled their interest in making a similar move over the next three years. " makes me wonder who next ?

indeed, and much more besides - thank you James, I’ll read it when I get a spare half-day :wink:
Does the UK just not do bite-sized summaries of how things work?

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~As the only time we need to go to Lyon is when we have to go to hospital, it seems a bit unnecessary, but then you can bet we would be the ones that would be fined!

I’ve just bought our vignettes on-line using the Government site. Very easy process and cheap enough… 4,18 euro for each car.

I have received, via email, documents which will satisfy the Gendarmes (if necessary) until the vignettes arrive in the post.

:innocent:

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Just done it as well, very (unusually) easy and quick. :smiley:

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Plus…

I’ve got the confirmation document from Fedération Française de Véhicules d’Époque that my 1966 Sunbeam does not need a Pollution/Clean Air vignette and can travel without any restrictions…Yippee…

Whilst this certainly does apply to Paris… I have yet to see if the same will apply to the other cities where older vehicule restrictions are in place.

But for the moment, Paris will do…:wink:

Vehicles with a Carte Grise Vehicles de Collection are exempt.

Sunbeam, Tiger/Alpine or Rapier?

Yes, David…I have the FFVE Flash Info No 98 du 6 fevrier 2017…

but, as they say, it will only be until the end of June 2021.

There is no promise that it will be adopted after that date…
and, as I say, it is only for Paris at the moment.

Sunbeam Rapier Series V… my pride and joy… :slight_smile:

Very nice, I used to have the later H120 fastback. Loved it, unfortunately corrosion eventually took it away. It was the car I drove on my first (independent) holiday in france, Cap d’Agde in 1979

Touch-wood… my car is still solid enough. There is a small amount of rust which was meant to be sorted this Winter… but an engine rebuild took precedence. Possibly get that rust seen to and respray those panels next autumn/winter. I would like to keep the car as near original as possible… but I’m not fanatical about it.