This archive report was first published on 1 July 2019.
Paris, the City of Light, is taking a major step towards cleaner air with a new ban on older diesel vehicles. Starting Monday, the list of vehicles banned from the French capital during daytime will be expanded to include diesel cars, trucks, and motorbikes dating back over 13 years.
The move targets tens of thousands of vehicles, with motorists who flout the ban facing a 68-euro fine, rising to 135 euros for trucks and buses. The ban is part of a broader effort to reduce air pollution in the city, which causes 48,000 extra deaths a year in France, making it the country's second-biggest killer after smoking.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has been a vocal advocate for cleaner air, aiming to phase out the use of diesel cars by the time the city hosts the Summer Olympics in 2024. The city is also giving more space to cyclists, pedestrians, and public transport to reduce reliance on polluting vehicles.
While the ban is in place, motorists in central Paris will face fines for offenders. However, in the suburbs, where car dependency is greater, offenders will face no punishment for the first two years of the ban, as part of a two-year punishment-free "learning period" agreed to by the government.
"We don't want to force the environment on people, but rather that it be accepted as the outcome of dialogue," said Patrick Ollier, head of the Grand Paris region, which is made up of Paris and its closest suburbs.
