If Your Car Was Built Before 1997, You Won't Be Able To Drive In Paris

The French capital’s issues with pollution have been well documented, as have the city’s attempts to deal with it. A couple of years ago there was a bizarre experimental system coming into play where you’d only be allowed to drive on particular days based on the number your registration plate starts with, and there’s also been the creation of more pedestrian-only zones. But the latest move is the most drastic: starting 1 July, any cars registered before 1997 will be banned from the city centre on weekdays, along with motorbikes built before 1999.

Ignore the ban, and you’re looking at a €35 fine, rising to €78 at the start of 2017. The cars affected are thought to make up about 10 per cent of the capital’s cars, but given advances in emissions controls over the years, that could amount to a big reduction in smog. The measures are set to get a lot more drastic too: from 2020, Paris will ban any vehicle registered before 2010 from entering the city centre.

With pollution levels in Paris among the worst across Europe drastic measures are needed, but the move won’t be popular, particularly as it’ll penalise poorer motorists unable to afford a car new enough to escape the pre-1997 ban and the eventual pre-2010 ban.