The capital of France has introduced a ban that stops older cars and motorcycles from driving into the city.
The new rule, put into effect on 1 July, bars any car registered before 1 January 1997 and any motorcycle registered before June 1999 from the city’s streets from Monday to Friday, 8 am to 8 pm.
According to the Le Monde newspaper, 50 000 out of the 750 000 passenger cars registered in Paris were manufactured before 1999. It also says that 13 000 motorcycles were registered before 1999.
However, Paris city officials believe that, based on actual use, the traffic restrictions will only affect 4 400 of the 400 000 passenger car circulating daily in the capital, together with 1 300 vans and 3 700 motorcycles. Classic cars over 30 years old will be exempt from the new legislation.
The city will begin handing out fines to those who break the rules from October, with first offenders having to pay €35. The fines will increase in January 2017 to €68 for private cars and €135 for trucks. Restrictions will become tighter over the decade until 2020, when the only private vehicles allowed to drive in central Paris will be cars registered after 2011 and motorcycles registered after July 2015.
For more information, visit lemonde.fr (in French).
