Paris bans cars built before 1997 in latest attempt to cut down on pollution

The city of Paris, France, has tried a lot of different ways to combat its terrible air pollution – from enforcing alternating traffic bans, to offering free public transit; but this summer authorities will begin to enforce a new rule that bans older, less environmentally friendly cars from entering the city.

As of July 1, vehicles built before 1997 and motorcycles made before 2000 will be banned from driving on Paris streets during weekdays. The ban, first announced in January 2015, is part of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s larger plan to make Paris a diesel-free city by 2020.

“It is true that older diesel vehicles are more polluting than modern ones. But the filters in even the latest models can’t get rid of the most dangerous fine particles.”

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According to Le Monde, the city will track citizens’ cars using colour-coded chips that will identify their model year and environmental ranking. Electric and hydrogen vehicles will be identified as “first class” vehicles.  The ban aims to make sure that no vehicle over 10 years old will drive on the city’s streets.

According to World Health Organization data published last year, air pollution is leading to 600,000 premature deaths each year in Europe. Paris is largely considered to be one of the most heavily polluted cities in Europe. An environmental ranking by nonprofit group Soot-Free Cities currently ranks Paris at a C- for its environmental sustainability measures.

In 2014, the European Environment Agency (EEA) found that Paris had an average of 147 microgrammes of particulate matter (PM), a measure of air pollution, per cubic metre of air. In comparison, Brussels had 114 microgrammes of PM and London had 79.7.

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Previous efforts to cut down on smog and air pollution in the city include introducing rental bicycles in the streets, increasing bike paths along the scenic Seine River, and adopting a fleet of electric cars to incite drivers to keep polluting vehicles at home.  In 2014, all public transportation in the Paris region and two other cities in France was made free for more than three days due to intense smog.

Hidalgo also recently introduced a program that sees the famous Champs-Elysees closed to traffic once a month to promote biking and walking around the city.

— With files from The Associated Press