Nearly one in two French people know how to define a Low Emission Zone (ZFE) according to a study. But better informed about their consequences, motorists are increasingly opposed to them.
Under a somewhat (less) nebulous acronym, the French discover a reality to which they struggle to adhere. At least for a good half of them. According to the latest Observatory of Low Emission Zones (ZFE) and electric vehicles* published on Thursday, 49% of respondents say they are opposed to ZFE-m (Low Emission Mobility Zones).
A figure up six points compared to the previous survey released in May 2022. And this, while 43 agglomerations of more than 150,000 inhabitants must set up this system by 2025.
“The problem is adaptation”
By knowing them better, motorists are increasingly aware of the main consequence: the ban on using their vehicle to enter EPZs if it is too old. Negative opinions on ZFEs thus climb to 62% among owners of cars with Crit’Air 4, 5 or unclassified stickers (the vast majority of diesel vehicles over 18 years old and petrol ones over 25 years old).
“The owners of impacted vehicles are as sensitive to environmental issues as other French people. The problem is adaptation”, summarizes Franck Cazenave, mobility expert, behind the study.
“More people are aware and understand that they are directly impacted but do not have the means to adapt,” he continues.
According to the calculations of the authors of the study, nearly 6 million vehicles will no longer be authorized to circulate on January 1, 2025 in a ZFE-m (4.1 million Crit’air 3 vehicles and nearly 2 million Crit’Air 4.5 and unclassified). However, more than a third (36%) of owners explain that on this date, they will continue to use their vehicle, which is now prohibited, because they cannot afford to change it.
“With this study, we see that it is impossible to adapt to the ZFE for a large part of the owners of Crit’Air 4 and 5 vehicles. And this is also partly the case for the Crit’ Air 3, where it is even more massive because there are more vehicles, sums up Franck Cazenave. We have a real problem ahead of us”.
More aid, postpone the entry into force
Crit’Air 3 vehicles include diesel models that are now 13 to 17 years old and gasoline models that are 18 to 25 years old. “If we do nothing, we will have an environmental problem to which we add a social problem. This risks adding to the anger”, continues Franck Cazenave.
The authors of the study propose to postpone from 2025 to 2027 the ban on entering ZFE-m for Crit’Air 3 more substantial aid to change vehicles – a bonus of 4000 euros subject to means.
A movement already taken by some cities. The Métropole du Grand Paris has thus postponed the traffic ban for the Crit’Air 3 for the first time from July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2023, and could announce a new postponement next week, this time for 2024. Lyon has also offered a two-year reprieve for Crit’Air 2 vehicles, banned on January 1, 2028 and not in 2026. In Toulouse, according to the Dispatchnew aid will be voted to help owners of Crit’Air 3 vehicles to change vehicles.
*Observatory of Low Emission Zones and electric vehicles: Questionnaire administered online on the basis of an average duration of 15 minutes on the CSA Link, Dynata and Pure Spectrum panels from 9/1/2023 to 1/2/2023 with a representative national sample of 10,022 French people aged 18 and over. (quota). Boosts have been made to holders of at least one Crit’Air 3, 4, 5 or Unclassified (NC) vehicle in certain housing or travel departments for work / studies, in order to have strong enough bases. That is a total of 10,370 respondents.
