European Emissions Zones

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Tony has beat me to it - personally I dislike towns when touring, quiet routes for me please.

[Bruce Nicholls]

All of this posturing has to be contrasted against Germany having just opened a BRAND NEW coal fired power station (UK has just closed it's last coal fired power station)!

[Chris KC]

Tony, Ruairidh, I whole-heartedly agree!
The problem is that getting to your destination will become increasingly difficult.
 
At present it may mean no more than having to risk your neck on the motorway to avoid entering city limits, but it's getting worse.
For example: It's highly unlikely that I'd choose to spend a holiday in Grenoble (last time I was there I got run over by a bus...)
Say though I was heading for the high alps or the Cote d'Azur, I'm then faced with the problem of how to get around Grenoble given that the zone includes not just the city centre but also the main road south.
It's quite a significant detour to avoid it (precisely the reason they need to impose traffic restrictions, I imagine).
 
I don't want to sound alarmist, but the French ZPAd's will cover entire regions, and once the map starts to look like this (below) getting from A to B could become seriously difficult.
(source: https://www.lez-france.fr/en/french-environmental-zones-zcr/french-environmental-zones.html)
 
  Capturez.JPG (Size: 26.83 KB / Downloads: 179)

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Reckless Rat lives in one of those areas - or very close, perhaps he can help us understand more?

[Reckless Rat]

I have a "Crit'air" sticker on my big Merc as well as one for Germany but not on any of the other cars. As I understand it the restriction in Lyon really only applies to the very centre of the old town but I am unaware of ANYONE that has ever been prosecuted for unauthorised access to any of these so called low emissions areas. To be honest, there are far more pressing things for the forces of order to be dealing with at the moment, so don't get your knickers in a twist about it.

My son lives in Stuttgart and there is a low emissions zone that covers the entire Greater Stuttgart area for all diesel cars below Euro 6. My E Class is Euro 4 but I have been there several times since the controlled area was declared and according to my son there is no enforcement whatsoever, unless you're unlucky and get "done" for something else at the same time and manage to attract the displeasure of the law. Again, as in France the Police have better things to do than check up on whether your car is compliant or not.

What does happen is that motorway speed limits are reduced in times of high pollution or heavy traffic, usually in high summer, and rigidly enforced by roadside cameras or average speed set-ups. As for the LEZs, my advice would be take no notice, as no-one else does, especially the French (me included).

If you're in an MOT exempt car you're OK anyway.

Just deny everything, Baldrick.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

To be clear - no MOT required, not able to enforce because...??

[Reckless Rat]

The pollution control zones do not apply to historic vehicles. Same rule applies throughout the EU. Historic = over 30 yrs old - Exempt MOT/CT/TüF if 1st registered before 1960. Just carry a copy of the registration document .

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Thank you for confirming that, it was what I had understood to be the case - perfect! We shall return to see you both soon I hope!

[Chris KC]

Good news if France and Germany are relaxed about enforcement so far. Number plate recognition cameras seem to be the future. I read somewhere that the London LEZ has raked in £26,000,000 in fines to date.

On the question of EU-wide exemption for historic vehicles, I can only refer readers back to the (admittedly small print) detail above. It is mostly the case but not universally so; and at significant risk of change in the next 12 months or so.

I'm not suggesting for a moment that we are all suddenly imprisoned by the English Channel - but we do need to keep a beady eye on how this develops in the next few years.

[Duncan Grimmond]

Glad to read that. While I do not really want to cause more pollution than I already contribute to I've always taken the view that historic/collectors vehicles exist in such small numbers that it would take a murder or a particularly pedantic officer to enforce regulations on a tourist in Europe. The "D" roads in France and their equivalents elsewhere are far more attractive than the major routes and major towns.
I also see excursions to France/Holland /Germany in my cars as essential to life and I'm damned if some petty regulation is going to get in my way! So there!