A cloud of pollution, here in Marseille.

(illustration) -

BORIS HORVAT / AFP

  • A low-emission zone, prohibiting access to the city center of Marseille to the most polluting vehicles, was to be set up in December 2021.

  • But the new left majority has postponed this implementation to 2022.

  • Benoît Payan and his assistants fear in particular that this measure will discriminate against the poorest.

ZFE.

Three small letters that spill a lot of ink.

In December, the most polluting cars were, in theory, persona non grata within a 19.5 km2 perimeter of Marseille, most of which was in its hypercentre.

This project had indeed been made compulsory by the government at the end of last year, as in six other metropolitan areas of France, in order to fight against air pollution.

Designed by the metropolis of Aix-Marseille Provence, chaired by the former LR candidate for municipal elections Martine Vassal, this ZFE was to be the subject, as a final step before its implementation, of a consultation in spring 2021, launched by the city of Marseille.

But this Friday, during the city council, the Marseilles Spring, the left-wing coalition which now heads the second largest city in France, decided to postpone this consultation… until later.

Consultations postponed due to the health crisis

"The current conditions linked to the management of the health crisis do not allow this stage of consultation to be started under good conditions," said mobility assistant Audrey Gatian, in a report voted on Friday.

In this same report, the city of Marseille thus proposes to "postpone this consultation stage, the duration of which is set at 3 months, until the end of the health crisis, for an effective implementation of the ZFE postponed during 2022."

“This is for us a denial, storm Catherine Pila, president of the LR group of opposition to the city council.

The ZFE is linked with ecology, with better living, with health.

Who would have thought you would decide that?

It fits your schedule!

You are afraid of going all the way, afraid of announcing to precarious audiences that they will have to part with their vehicles that are too old.

"

"A privilege of the rich"

“Obviously we are for the ZFE, plague the mayor with the one who is also president of the RTM.

But that will not be done to the detriment of the most humble and poor Marseillais.

The hundreds of thousands of Marseillais who have no other choice than to have a polluting car, what do you do with them?

What are we going to say?

Too bad, will you walk?

Are you going to run?

"

“The ZFE has a social bias, fears the ecologist Sébastien Barles, deputy in charge of ecological transition.

It should not turn into a zone with strong exclusion.

"" A punitive EPZ is contrary to our project and our vision of the city, says Audrey Gatian.

It should not be a privilege of the rich who can renew their vehicle using the conversion bonus and the others, and assigning the others to their homes.

This ZFE must be accompanied by an acceleration of the development of transport.

"

"We are going to talk to you about the ZFM, the low mobility zone," annoys Benoît Payan.

This is your job.

It is your responsibility!

"And to warn:" In Marseille, there is no cycle path, there are two tram lines, two metro lines!

The ZFE will be done on condition that you get started on the transport plan.

“No less than 300,000 Marseillais would be concerned, in the long term, by the implementation of this project.

Lyon

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Planet

Toulouse: The exclusion of the most polluting vehicles from the city center postponed after this summer

  • municipal Council

  • Benoît Payan

  • Air pollution

  • Marseilles

  • Car

  • Pollution