• The metropolis and the city are betting on maximum consultation upstream so that the Bordeaux ZFE, which must be put in place no later than January 1, 2025, is as well accepted as possible.

  • We know that it will concern the perimeter of the intra-ring road which brings together 14 of the 28 municipalities of the metropolis.

  • The contours of the ZFE will be defined in support of public consultation, particularly with regard to the categories of vehicles concerned.

The Bordeaux metropolis is walking on eggshells on the subject of restricting the circulation of some of the most polluting vehicles.

The law requires it to define a low emission zone (ZFE) on January 1, 2025 and by then, it intends to prepare people's minds for this change so that it goes smoothly.

Alain Anziani, president (PS) of the metropolis has in mind the vivacity with which, in 2018, the movement of yellow vests ignited the Gironde metropolis, in reaction to a rise in fuel prices.

"If we can't anticipate 2025, we're heading towards a wall, the ZFE system must be popularized by then," he worries.

If the definition of a ZFE is mandatory, its contours must be defined by each metropolis.

In Bordeaux, the ZFE will be delimited by the intra-ring road area on which the concentrations of pollutants are the highest (excluding the ring road which falls under the jurisdiction of the State) and it is not yet known which categories of vehicles ( classified with Crit'air stickers from 1 to 5, depending on the engine and the year of construction of the vehicle) will be able to drive there and when.

Consult and explain before choosing

A survey was launched on March 29, and participation by the general public has been possible via a dedicated site since April 1.

A general public consultation is also planned between September and December 2022, before the regulatory consultation which will begin in 2023. Public meetings will also be organized in the 14 municipalities that are part of the perimeter of the ZFE.

The metropolis is aware that it will have to offer support measures for changes of vehicle for the most modest households, in addition to zero-rate loans from the State.

The terms have not been finalized and will be done in support of the consultation but, according to projections, if circulation in this ZFE is prohibited for Crit'air 5, 4 and 3 vehicles included, "the improvement is very significant in terms of air quality, i.e. -24% on nitrogen oxide emissions and -15% on fine particles, points out Claudine Bichet, Vice-President of the Metropolis in charge of Climate, Energy Transition and health.

If we start at Crit'air 4, we are at -6% for nitrogen oxides and -3% for fine particles”.

For an ambitious ZFE, the ban from Crit'air 3 therefore seems to be preferred.

Other characteristics remain to be determined.

Will the ZFE concern all vehicles or only professional vehicles or trucks?

Will it be a ZFE 24 hours a day, which seems the most legible, or only at certain times or excluding weekends?

If the contours of the device remain to be defined, it is certain that on this file the metropolis and the city will favor progressive measures for better social acceptance.

“The increase in the price of gasoline will be a factor that will encourage them to save fuel, hopes Alain Anziani.

This ZFE is in the interest of the inhabitants”.

Still, the controls left to the police power of the mayors promise to be complicated. 

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  • Air pollution

  • Pollution

  • Car

  • Automotive

  • Aquitaine