Toulouse is taking a new step in the fight against air pollution. The low-emission zone (ZFE), in which the most polluting vehicles and heavy goods trucks will be banned this year, was announced by Toulouse Métropole and from spring 2021 it will be established on a perimeter which roughly encompasses the city of Toulouse.

Toulouse Métropole has put in place financial aid, which can be combined with that of the State, for the purchase of a low-polluting vehicle or the adaptation of the engine. The deployment of the ZFE will be gradual to give owners time to change their vehicles.

Concretely, next spring, vans and heavy goods vehicles registered before 1997, or having the Crit’Air 5 sticker, will no longer be able to circulate in the ZFE. In 2022, vans and heavy goods vehicles with Crit’Air 4 sticker will be banned. In 2023, motorcycles and cars with Crit’Air 4 and 5 stickers will be added to the vehicles already banned. Finally, in 2024, vehicles with Crit’Air 3 labels will no longer be able to circulate in the area.

“We don’t want ecology to be the enemy of purchasing power,” said Jean-Luc Moudenc, mayor of Toulouse and president of Toulouse Métropole, who pleaded for a “gradual” implementation of the ZFE, thus “people who have a polluting car will have 3 years to prepare for it.”

Toulouse Métropole is offering two type of grants, one for individuals and the other for companies and associations with less than 50 employees. These aids are dedicated to the scrapping of polluting vehicles, for the acquisition or rental of low-emission vehicles (Autogas, CNG, electric, hydrogen and plug-in hybrids), or even the transformation of the engine. The vehicles acquired may be new or used. For more information, please check this link.

6 January 2021