It will be interesting to see how this plays out. France might well prove to be the start of a reaction against this kind of control. I see reducing pollution in cities to be a very good thing, but perhaps there could be more carrot and less stick.
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Totally agree AM, in the middle of London in a street where taxis and others queued it was nasty to walk along, now virtually all electric so much better.
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Some years ago London had a “scrappage scheme” for old smelly diesels - IIRC it was quite successful.
Perhaps that idea could work in France too (and elsewhere in the UK).
France did indeed have a scrappage scheme and a lot of still actually pretty good cars were mises au rebut (scrapped) because of it.
The UK’s scheme(s) came later, were very patchy where they applied so not accessible to everyone and didn’t last long at all.
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It dod seem to favour quite wealthy people as donmany early adoption schemes and o do mean scheming SOB’s
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Meanwhile they’re introducing further restrictions on tobacco consumption, which makes one wonder whether or not both measures are actually being primarily driven by electoral pragmatism rather than health concerns.
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Can there seriously be any doubt that smoking is harmful to health ???
For years, efforts have come and gone… trying to cut back on smokers… trying to encourage alternatives (which might well be just/almost as bad …) trying to help people to give up smoking altogether…
I don’t think the new restrictions are anything to do with elections… unless being seen to try (yet again) and remove the health-hazard/concerns falls under that banner.
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Will power!
Sadly, I know and have known people who simply cannot/could not stop smoking… even when on the brink of death…
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So why at the same time, try to abandon long standing measures to control urban air pollution?
surely, if I read the articles correctly, they’re trying/hoping to bring in urban air pollution controls more gently, in a manner with which people can actually comply…
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Deeply depressing powerplay by the Trumpian RN, just as a new wave of cheaper electric cars arrive…
Yes, but they’re still proposing to weaken the existing restrictions, that had been largely accepted. And it would have been possible to have retained or simply adjusted the rules for Paris and Lyon , the two major cities with the worst air pollution.
My son has a Skoda Octavia diesel car, which in the UK will go 600 miles on a tank full of UK diesel. When using French diesel it will only do 450 miles. Perhaps it might be a good idea for France to address the issue of the quality of the diesel fuel sold at service stations so that less of it needs to be used.
In this way the amount of French diesel burned would be 33% less, with no doubt a corresponding reduction in air pollution.
We have a Skoda Karoq, and see effectively identical consumption on long journeys both in France and the UK using supermarket fuel in both. Is your son’s car from a couple of generations back? My Karoq is a 2018 model.
My diesel Honda CR-V gives the same L/100km and MPG whether on French or English fuel. The UK ‘super diesel’ brands give very slightly lower consumption but turning the air con off makes much more difference.
Perhaps he drives faster in France? If he’s doing lots of motorway trips in France at 130kph that will burn significantly more fuel than mixed or 70MPH motorway driving in the UK.
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Largely accepted by whom… ??? 
According to those who have been manifesting, people with polluting cars who can’t afford to change 'em, are unable to go about their lives/work etc etc…
If there was no Public complaint/move towards getting the ZFE lifted, it would not be being threatened, sitting quietly doing its job…
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I think faulty math may be the primary issue here. There simply isn’t much , if any, BTU difference in diesel fuel.
My car does the same mileage whether on French or British* electricity.
*Sorry, I can’t be more specific on which part of the UK the electrons came from
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