Tiny particles from the wear of vehicle brakes, tyres and roads already make up about half of the air pollution particles from traffic. This will be getting worse because our car fleet is getting heavier and there are no clear policies to control this pollution source.

The issue known as “car bloat” and “autobesity” refers to vehicles bought today being bigger than the ones they replace. This affects parking and raises concerns about safety for other road users. A US study showed that children were eight times more likely to die when struck by an SUV compared with a normal passenger car. Bigger vehicles also have a greater impact on the climate and air pollution.

The trend towards heavier cars began in the 1990s. Over the last decade the average European car weight increased by about 9%. Sales of small SUVs increased by five times and large SUVs sales increased by seven times.

Several toxicological studies point to potential damage to health from breathing brake, road and tyre pollution, but there are still many important knowledge gaps, not least around brake wear and particles from electric vehicles.

Dr William Hicks and his team, from Imperial College London, have created a computer simulator to study air pollution from brakes. In his latest study, six different vehicles undertook simulated drives around London and an international standard vehicle test.

There were big differences between vehicle types. The brakes in the large SUV had to work twice as hard as those in the small compact car, resulting in greater particle pollution.

The batteries in electric vehicles typically make them 20% heavier than their petrol and diesel equivalents. However, hybrid and battery vehicles have regenerative braking: they use their electric motors to slow down, putting this energy into their batteries whenever they can. They only use their friction brakes during hard and slow-speed braking.

Despite their additional weight, the brakes in the battery and hybrid vehicles worked less than their petrol and diesel equivalents. Brake pollution was reduced by 88% in the international driving test and 68% in the London test.

Hicks said: “I was also surprised by the extent to which driving styles can influence brake-wear emissions. Aggressive driving and braking, which is common in city driving, causes more direct abrasion between disc and pad, but also heats the brakes up, causing more ultrafine particle emissions too.”

“In the long term, smart traffic-control and driver feedback should encourage efficient driving. But in the short term, individual drivers can reduce air pollution by driving smoothly. This could be encouraged through traffic calming measures (20 mph speed limits should help), media campaigns and driver awareness courses.”

The impacts of vehicle weight are not confined to cars. An earlier study in London found links between increased numbers of heavy lorries and increases in the types of particle pollution that come from brake, tyre and road wear.

Despite this, technology solutions are still in their infancy. These include devices to collect tyre particles right next to the wheels, and sensors to ensure that wheels are aligned correctly. Paris and other French cities are looking towards increased parking charges for SUVs.

Prof Roy Harrison, from the University of Brimingham, who was not involved in the computer simulation study, said: “The results give new insights into the influence of vehicle weight and driving style upon regenerative braking in electric and hybrid vehicles, and the associated particle emissions reductions.

“They show that regenerative braking can lead to substantial benefits, but should not be used to detract from the effort to develop engineering solutions to this important emission source.”

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/autobesity-on-course-to-worsen-air-pollution-caused-by-motoring/ar-AA1gqaY2?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=e51b380ebc1e49d3a1e9420e7ec79be1&ei=12

“Prof Roy Harrison, from the University of Brimingham…”

Where??

> https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/autobesity-on-course-to-worsen-air-pollution-caused-by-motoring/ar-AA1gqaY2?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=e51b380ebc1e49d3a1e9420e7ec79be1&ei=12

--
Spike

QUOTE: A US study showed that children were eight times more likely to die when struck by an SUV compared with a normal passenger car. Bigger vehicles also have a greater impact on the climate and air pollution. ENDS

Bizarrely, these child killers are usually driven to and from school in order to "keep our children safe".
Yes - really.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> QUOTE: A US study showed that children were eight times more likely to
> die when struck by an SUV compared with a normal passenger car. Bigger
> vehicles also have a greater impact on the climate and air pollution. ENDS
>
> Bizarrely, these child killers are usually driven to and from school in
> order to "keep our children safe".
> Yes - really.

And another one spirals into an alternate reality.

--
Spike

QUOTE: Aggressive driving and braking, which is common in city driving. ENDS

ANGRY DRIVING LIKE THIS IN CITIES IS FUTILE, JUST WASTES FUEL AND INCREASES TOXIC FUMES FOR NO GAIN WHATSOEVER. ATTENTION SPAN OF A GNAT.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> QUOTE: Aggressive driving and braking, which is common in city driving. ENDS
>
> ANGRY DRIVING LIKE THIS IN CITIES IS FUTILE, JUST WASTES FUEL AND
> INCREASES TOXIC FUMES FOR NO GAIN WHATSOEVER. ATTENTION SPAN OF A GNAT.

THEN SCRAP THE SO-CALLED TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES AND SPEED THE FLOW OF
TRAFFIC BY GETTING RID OF BICYCLE LANES.

--
Spike

QUOTE: The impacts of vehicle weight are not confined to cars. An earlier study in London found links between increased numbers of heavy lorries and increases in the types of particle pollution that come from brake, tyre and road wear. ENDS

THANK YOU KHAN.

Contact
London HGV Restrictions

Restrictions on the movement of HGVs around parts of London have been in place since 1985. These controls were put in to place to manage the environmental impact of heavy goods vehicle journeys in London. The restricted use of some roads is helping to reduce noise pollution during unsociable hours for residents in associated areas.

The London Lorry Control Scheme (LLCS) falls under the Greater London (Restriction of Goods Vehicles) Traffic Order 1985 and is enforced by the London Local Authorities and Transport for London Traffic Act 2003.

Vehicles over 18 tonnes (maximum gross weight) are restricted from using specific roads at certain times of day/night and weekends in order to reduce noise pollution around largely residential areas.

The LLCS is sometimes referred to as the London lorry ban, however this is misleading. The LLCS does not prohibit deliveries at any time of the day or night but it does control the route that vehicles take and simply means that routes should be planned accordingly.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> QUOTE: The impacts of vehicle weight are not confined to cars. An earlier
> study in London found links between increased numbers of heavy lorries
> and increases in the types of particle pollution that come from brake,
> tyre and road wear. ENDS
>
> THANK YOU KHAN.

What for? The London Lorry ban has been in place for nearly 40 years. See
article below,

> Contact
> London HGV Restrictions
>
> Restrictions on the movement of HGVs around parts of London have been in
> place since 1985. These controls were put in to place to manage the
> environmental impact of heavy goods vehicle journeys in London. The
> restricted use of some roads is helping to reduce noise pollution during
> unsociable hours for residents in associated areas.
>
> The London Lorry Control Scheme (LLCS) falls under the Greater London
> (Restriction of Goods Vehicles) Traffic Order 1985 and is enforced by the
> London Local Authorities and Transport for London Traffic Act 2003.
>
> Vehicles over 18 tonnes (maximum gross weight) are restricted from using
> specific roads at certain times of day/night and weekends in order to
> reduce noise pollution around largely residential areas.
>
> The LLCS is sometimes referred to as the London lorry ban, however this
> is misleading. The LLCS does not prohibit deliveries at any time of the
> day or night but it does control the route that vehicles take and simply
> means that routes should be planned accordingly.
>
>
>

--
Spike

On Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 9:52:27 AM UTC+1, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> QUOTE: The impacts of vehicle weight are not confined to cars. An earlier study in London found links between increased numbers of heavy lorries and increases in the types of particle pollution that come from brake, tyre and road wear. ENDS
>
> THANK YOU KHAN.
The expansion of the controversial Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has come into force in London's outer boroughs today - despite a political row rolling on between the city's mayor and the government.

The zone - which charges motorists £12.50 a day if their car does not comply with emissions standards - now covers the outer boroughs of the capital, having previously just applied in central London.

Drivers are facing queues online in checking whether their cars are compliant with the scheme or not due to the high level of traffic going to Transport for London's website.

Labour's Sadiq Khan said extending the scheme amid a cost of living crisis had been "a difficult decision, but... a vital one", telling Sky News it was "an issue of social justice to clean up the air in our great city".

But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has joined his Conservative colleagues in condemning it, saying the charges were "going to hit working families".

ULEZ was proposed by former London mayor (and now ex-prime minister) Boris Johnson and came into force in central London back in 2019 in an attempt to reduce harmful air pollution in the city's busiest streets.

It was extended by Mr Khan in 2021 to cover inner London - up to the north and south circular roads - which led to a drastic reduction in toxic nitrogen dioxide concentrations, according to a City Hall report.

But the expansion of the scheme to cover all of London's outer boroughs has caused uproar, with many blaming the policy for Labour's loss in the Uxbridge and Ruislip by-election last month - a Tory seat that the governing party narrowly held on to due to anger from local residents over ULEZ.

Mr Khan's plans also faced a legal challenge by five local authorities - Hillingdon, Bexley, Bromley and Harrow in London, plus Surrey County Council - but it failed and the High Court ruled the expansion lawful.

It means that the zone will now be taken up to London's borders with Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Berkshire and Surrey.

Those who drive in the newly expanded zone in a vehicle that does not meet minimum emissions standards will need to pay £12.50 a day fee or risk a £180 fine, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.

Defending his plan on Sky News, Mr Khan said: "The evidence is quite clear in relation to the consequences of air pollution. It does lead to, in London, around 4,000 premature deaths a year. It leads to children having stunted lungs forever, adults with a whole host of health issues from asthma to cancer, dementia to heart disease.

"We have the ULEZ in central London and it's managed to reduce the pollutants, the toxicity by almost 50%. A third fewer children admitted to hospital with air pollution problems because of the ULEZ in central London.

"But also the science shows that the 10 boroughs with the largest number of premature deaths is, guess where? In outer London. Look at those with illnesses in London linked with air pollution, more than two thirds live in, guess where? Outer London.

"They've not seen the benefits of ULEZ. After today, they will."

But Mr Sunak told reporters the expansion was a mistake that would hit people in the pocket.

"I think people and families are struggling with the cost of living, that is obvious to everyone," he said. "And at that time, the Labour Party, the Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan and [Labour leader Sir] Keir Starmer are introducing the ULEZ charge which is going to hit working families.

"I don't think that's the right priority, I don't think that's the right thing to do and I wish they hadn't done it."

Earlier, Transport Secretary Mark Harper also attacked the roll-out, telling Sky News: "People can see it for what it is. It's a scheme to charge hard-pressed motorists more money for making essential journeys and it will have almost no appreciable on air quality."

But Mr Khan defended his stance, saying: "I'm pragmatic. I'm not evangelical... I can see the evidence in relation to the consequences of air pollution, but also [the evidence that] ULEZ works.

"And actually I think Londoners want to see clean air in our city. They want to see their leaders taking bold action.

"What they don't want is politicians, for short term political gain, playing politics with public health and the climate emergency."

To curb some of the opposition, the London mayor announced last month that the scrappage scheme will be extended to all Londoners through a £160m fund.

Applicants with a wheelchair-accessible car or van can get up to £5,000, while drivers of a standard car can receive up to £2,000 to scrap their vehicle. Motorcycle riders can also receive up to £1,000 for scrapping their bike.

Charities, traders and businesses can apply for larger grants to scrap, retrofit or replace a van or minibus.

Previously, grants to scrap a non-compliant car and replace it with a new one were only available to child benefit recipients, disabled people and those on low incomes.

City Hall says 90% of cars seen driving in outer London on an average day are already compliant.

It has also received more than 15,000 applications in the last week alone, while nearly £60m has already been committed in advance of the expansion to people, charities and businesses who want to scrap or retrofit their vehicles.

Sir Keir Starmer has also come under pressure to demand that Mr Khan delay extending the zone, with Mr Harper urging the Labour leader to make his position on ULEZ "clear".

The transport secretary told Sky News: "The government doesn't support [the expansion] but I don't have the legal power to block it. It's a decision by the Labour mayor, backed by the leader.

"The only person that can block it now is either if the mayor doesn't roll it out or the Labour leader threatens to de-select him if he goes ahead with it. And neither of those things have happened."

In response, a Labour source said: "The Conservatives are desperately hoping that the public forgets that clean air zones are their government's own policy, and that a Tory mayor created ULEZ.

"They've hammered motorists and stood idle while petrol prices soared, car insurance rocketed, and fewer potholes get fixed."

Around 300 protesters gathered outside Downing Street on Tuesday lunchtime to call for ULEZ to be scrapped.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 9:52:27 AM UTC+1, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
>> QUOTE: The impacts of vehicle weight are not confined to cars. An
>> earlier study in London found links between increased numbers of heavy
>> lorries and increases in the types of particle pollution that come from
>> brake, tyre and road wear. ENDS
>>
>> THANK YOU KHAN.
> The expansion of the controversial Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has
> come into force in London's outer boroughs today - despite a political
> row rolling on between the city's mayor and the government.

Deflection tactic (Heavy Lorries and Road wear to ULEZ) noted.

Rest snipped.

--
Spike

On Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 11:44:19 AM UTC+1, swldx...@gmail..com wrote:
> On Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 9:52:27 AM UTC+1, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> > QUOTE: The impacts of vehicle weight are not confined to cars. An earlier study in London found links between increased numbers of heavy lorries and increases in the types of particle pollution that come from brake, tyre and road wear. ENDS
> >
> > THANK YOU KHAN.
London’s ULEZ reduced the city’s nitrogen dioxide levels by a few per cent during the first few weeks of its implementation.

This is according to a study by Imperial College London researchers who say their findings highlight that ULEZs are not a silver bullet and that sustained improvements in air pollution require multiple measures.

Between 2016 and 2020, the number of Londoners living in areas with illegally high levels of nitrogen dioxide fell by 94 per cent, and alongside this there were other reductions in London’s air pollution. New research from Imperial has found that changes in air pollution around the introduction of the ULEZ in April 2019 were small in comparison to these longer-term improvements.

The researchers used publicly available air quality data to measure changes in pollution in the twelve-week period from 25 February 2019, before the ULEZ was introduced, to 20 May 2019, after it had been implemented. They controlled for the effects of weather variations, and then used statistical analysis to look for and quantify changes in pollution.

ULEZ...works best when combined with a broader set of policies that reduce emissions across sectors like bus and taxi retrofitting, support for active and public transport Dr Marc Stettler Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

The researchers behind the study, published in Environmental Research Letters, say it highlights the importance of combining a wide set of effective clean air measures that could encompass local actions like reducing transport emissions and use of wood burning stoves, and regional policies that reduce, for example, agricultural emissions. This is particularly important for cities that are considering introducing an ULEZ, and it comes as London’s ULEZ was expanded to create a larger zone in October 2021.

Corresponding author of the research Dr Marc Stettler, from Imperial’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Centre for Transport Studies, said: “Our research suggests that a ULEZ on its own is not an effective strategy to improve air quality – the case of London shows us that it works best when combined with a broader set of policies that reduce emissions across sectors like bus and taxi retrofitting, support for active and public transport, and other policies on polluting vehicles.”

Air pollution caused 40,000 deaths in the UK in 2019 – around 4,000 of which were in Greater London. Worldwide, outdoor air pollution accounts for around 4.2 million deaths per year due to conditions such as stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and acute and chronic respiratory diseases.

In April 2019 the Mayor of London introduced the ULEZ, an area in which drivers of more polluting vehicles must pay a daily charge, with the aim of reducing air pollution emissions from road transport and accelerating compliance with EU air quality standards. The ULEZ is one of several London air pollution policies introduced since 2016 like the Low Emission Zone, Low Emission Bus Zones, and bus and taxi electrification.

To carry out the study, the researchers analysed air quality data from roadside and non-roadside air quality monitors across London, comparing data over a twelve week period from before and after the ULEZ was introduced.

They found that, compared to the overall decrease in London’s air pollution levels, the ULEZ caused only small improvements in air quality in the weeks following its start date: an average reduction of less than 3 per cent for nitrogen dioxide concentrations, and insignificant effects on ozone and particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations.

They also found that the biggest improvements in air quality in London in fact took place before the ULEZ was introduced in 2019.

Cities considering air pollution policies should not expect ULEZs alone to fix the issue as they contribute marginally to cleaner air. Dr Marc Stettler Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

They detected changes in levels of nitrogen dioxide and ozone at 70 per cent and 24 per cent of the monitoring sites around the time that the ULEZ was introduced, respectively. Among these sites, changes in air pollution varied quite significantly and at some sites pollution actually worsened, with relative changes ranging from -9 per cent to 6 per cent for nitrogen dioxide, -5 per cent to 4 per cent for ozone, and -6 per cent to 4 per cent for PM2.5.

The researchers suggest that other cities considering implementing these schemes should consider them alongside a combination of other measures. Dr Stettler said: “Cities considering air pollution policies should not expect ULEZs alone to fix the issue as they contribute marginally to cleaner air. This is especially the case for pollutants that might originate elsewhere and be blown by winds into the city, such as particulate matter and ozone."

“Since the London ULEZ was introduced, similar schemes have been introduced in Bath, Birmingham and Glasgow, yet on a much smaller scale. Several other cities have plans to implement clean air zones and our findings could contribute to the development of their policy.”

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 11:44:19 AM UTC+1, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
>> On Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 9:52:27 AM UTC+1, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

>>> QUOTE: The impacts of vehicle weight are not confined to cars. An
>>> earlier study in London found links between increased numbers of heavy
>>> lorries and increases in the types of particle pollution that come from
>>> brake, tyre and road wear. ENDS

>>> THANK YOU KHAN.

What for? Your own article below suggests such is misplaced.

> London’s ULEZ reduced the city’s nitrogen dioxide levels by a few per
> cent during the first few weeks of its implementation.
>
> This is according to a study by Imperial College London researchers who
> say their findings highlight that ULEZs are not a silver bullet and that
> sustained improvements in air pollution require multiple measures.
>
> Between 2016 and 2020, the number of Londoners living in areas with
> illegally high levels of nitrogen dioxide fell by 94 per cent, and
> alongside this there were other reductions in London’s air pollution. New
> research from Imperial has found that changes in air pollution around the
> introduction of the ULEZ in April 2019 were small in comparison to these
> longer-term improvements.

So what this is saying is that pollution levels fell by a huge amount, then
ULEZ was brought in.

Still, why shouldn’t someone make political capital out of this, and at the
same time generate £££ in taxes to deal with a problem that had all but
gone away? It’s a win-win for such a person! They can claim any subsequent
fall in pollution-related diseases as being due to their policy!

Thanks for posting this, I’ve made a note of it and can bring it up
whenever ULEZ is advanced as a successful policy.

--
Spike

In order to reduce CO2 emissions in France's major cities, the most environmentally damaging vehicles are now banned from driving in certain urban areas called Low Emission Mobility Zones (ZFE-m). Vehicles not registered in France must also display an ecological sticker called Crit'Air. Here is an overview of the regulations in force to ensure that you have a peaceful holiday.

The certificate is a round sticker that corresponds to a class of vehicle defined according to the emissions of atmospheric pollutants. There are 6 categories of certificates, each with a different colour, to encourage the least polluting vehicles.
The Crit'Air sticker concerns all vehicles: private cars, two-wheelers, tricycles and quadricycles, light commercial vehicles and heavy vehicles including buses and coaches. Once acquired and affixed to the vehicle's windscreen, the sticker is valid for the entire life of the vehicle.

The Crit'Air certificate is only compulsory in certain zones. In Paris, the sticker is compulsory within the perimeter of the A86 motorway from Monday to Friday, from 8am to 8pm, except on public holidays.

Several large cities have also set up low emission mobility zones. The agglomerations concerned are: Lyon, Aix-Marseille, Toulouse, Nice, Montpellier, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Rouen, Reims and Saint-Étienne. From 2025, all cities and agglomerations with more than 150,000 inhabitants will be required to introduce a Low Emission Mobility Zone.
What are the regulations in force?

Since 1 January 2023, all Crit'Air 5 vehicles or vehicles without a sticker have been subject to traffic restrictions in Low Emission Zones. In some cities, Crit'Air 4 vehicles are also affected. Several cities also offer passes to allow occasional drivers to visit the city centre a limited number of times during the year.

Here is a summary of the measures in force (or soon to be introduced) in each of France's 11 Low Emission Zones:

In Paris and Greater Paris, the ban on Crit'Air 3 cars will apply from 1 January 2025 at the latest (in addition to Crit'Air 4, 5 and non-classified vehicles already subject to restrictions).

In Lyon, Crit'Air 5 and non-classified private vehicles are now affected by the traffic restrictions. Crit'Air 4, 3 and 2 vehicles will be progressively restricted in 2024, 2025 and 2028.

In Marseille, Crit'Air 4 cars will be banned from 1 January 2024. Crit'Air 3 vehicles will no longer be allowed to circulate within the ZFE perimeter after 1 January 2025.

In Strasbourg, Crit'Air 5 and non-classified vehicles will be banned from driving within the ZFE-m perimeter. The traffic restrictions will apply from 1 January 2024 for Crit'Air 4 vehicles and from 1 January 2025 for Crit'Air 3 vehicles.

In Rouen, all vehicles displaying a Crit'Air 4, 5 or non-classified sticker have been banned from 1 September 2022. Tolerance is granted to motorised two-wheelers, tricycles and quadricycles until 31 August 2023. The ban is due to apply to Crit'Air 3 cars from 1 January 2025.
In addition, additional traffic restrictions may apply during pollution peaks.
Traffic restrictions will only apply in urban areas where pollutant thresholds are exceeded. The following cities, known as "vigilance territories", are therefore no longer subject to these new restrictions (Crit'Air 3).

In Toulouse, all Crit'Air 4, 5 and non-classified vehicles have been affected by the traffic restrictions since 1 January 2023. Crit'Air 3 cars will be able to continue driving after 2024.

-In Nice, Crit'Air 5 and non-classified passenger cars have been affected by the restrictions since 1 January 2023. However, Crit'Air 4 and Crit'Air 3 vehicles will be able to continue driving.

-In Montpellier, Crit'Air 5 and non-classified vehicles have been banned from 1 January 2023. However, Crit'Air 4 and Crit'Air 3 vehicles will not be subject to these restrictions.

-In Grenoble, Crit'Air vehicles have been banned from driving in the Low Emission Zone since 7 July 2023. These restrictions will apply from 1 January 2024 for Crit'Air 4 cars and from 1 January 2025 for Crit'Air 4 cars, and are limited to certain hours (Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm).

-In Reims, the ban applies to Crit'Air 4 and 5 vehicles from 1 January 2023.. The restrictions do not apply to Crit'Air 3 vehicles.

London’s ULEZ reduced the city’s nitrogen dioxide levels by a few per cent
during the first few weeks of its implementation.

This is according to a study by Imperial College London researchers who say
their findings highlight that ULEZs are not a silver bullet and that
sustained improvements in air pollution require multiple measures.

Between 2016 and 2020, the number of Londoners living in areas with
illegally high levels of nitrogen dioxide fell by 94 per cent, and
alongside this there were other reductions in London’s air pollution.

New research from Imperial has found that changes in air pollution around
the introduction of the ULEZ in April 2019 were small in comparison to
these longer-term improvements.

The researchers used publicly available air quality data to measure changes
in pollution in the twelve-week period from 25 February 2019, before the
ULEZ was introduced, to 20 May 2019, after it had been implemented. They
controlled for the effects of weather variations, and then used statistical
analysis to look for and quantify changes in pollution.

The researchers behind the study, published in Environmental Research
Letters, say it highlights the importance of combining a wide set of
effective clean air measures that could encompass local actions like
reducing transport emissions and use of wood burning stoves, and regional
policies that reduce, for example, agricultural emissions. This is
particularly important for cities that are considering introducing an ULEZ,
and it comes as London’s ULEZ was expanded to create a larger zone in
October 2021.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> In order to reduce CO2 emissions in France's major cities, the most
> environmentally damaging vehicles are now banned from driving in certain
> urban areas called Low Emission Mobility Zones (ZFE-m). Vehicles not
> registered in France must also display an ecological sticker called
> Crit'Air. Here is an overview of the regulations in force to ensure that
> you have a peaceful holiday.
>
> The certificate is a round sticker that corresponds to a class of vehicle
> defined according to the emissions of atmospheric pollutants. There are 6
> categories of certificates, each with a different colour, to encourage
> the least polluting vehicles.
> The Crit'Air sticker concerns all vehicles: private cars, two-wheelers,
> tricycles and quadricycles, light commercial vehicles and heavy vehicles
> including buses and coaches. Once acquired and affixed to the vehicle's
> windscreen, the sticker is valid for the entire life of the vehicle.
>
> The Crit'Air certificate is only compulsory in certain zones. In Paris,
> the sticker is compulsory within the perimeter of the A86 motorway from
> Monday to Friday, from 8am to 8pm, except on public holidays.
>
> Several large cities have also set up low emission mobility zones. The
> agglomerations concerned are: Lyon, Aix-Marseille, Toulouse, Nice,
> Montpellier, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Rouen, Reims and Saint-Étienne. From
> 2025, all cities and agglomerations with more than 150,000 inhabitants
> will be required to introduce a Low Emission Mobility Zone.
> What are the regulations in force?
>
> Since 1 January 2023, all Crit'Air 5 vehicles or vehicles without a
> sticker have been subject to traffic restrictions in Low Emission Zones.
> In some cities, Crit'Air 4 vehicles are also affected. Several cities
> also offer passes to allow occasional drivers to visit the city centre a
> limited number of times during the year.
>
> Here is a summary of the measures in force (or soon to be introduced) in
> each of France's 11 Low Emission Zones:
>
> In Paris and Greater Paris, the ban on Crit'Air 3 cars will apply
> from 1 January 2025 at the latest (in addition to Crit'Air 4, 5 and
> non-classified vehicles already subject to restrictions).
>
> In Lyon, Crit'Air 5 and non-classified private vehicles are now
> affected by the traffic restrictions. Crit'Air 4, 3 and 2 vehicles will
> be progressively restricted in 2024, 2025 and 2028.
>
> In Marseille, Crit'Air 4 cars will be banned from 1 January 2024.
> Crit'Air 3 vehicles will no longer be allowed to circulate within the ZFE
> perimeter after 1 January 2025.
>
> In Strasbourg, Crit'Air 5 and non-classified vehicles will be banned
> from driving within the ZFE-m perimeter. The traffic restrictions will
> apply from 1 January 2024 for Crit'Air 4 vehicles and from 1 January 2025
> for Crit'Air 3 vehicles.
>
> In Rouen, all vehicles displaying a Crit'Air 4, 5 or non-classified
> sticker have been banned from 1 September 2022. Tolerance is granted to
> motorised two-wheelers, tricycles and quadricycles until 31 August 2023.
> The ban is due to apply to Crit'Air 3 cars from 1 January 2025.
> In addition, additional traffic restrictions may apply during pollution peaks.
> Traffic restrictions will only apply in urban areas where pollutant
> thresholds are exceeded. The following cities, known as "vigilance
> territories", are therefore no longer subject to these new restrictions (Crit'Air 3).
>
> In Toulouse, all Crit'Air 4, 5 and non-classified vehicles have been
> affected by the traffic restrictions since 1 January 2023. Crit'Air 3
> cars will be able to continue driving after 2024.
>
> -In Nice, Crit'Air 5 and non-classified passenger cars have been affected
> by the restrictions since 1 January 2023. However, Crit'Air 4 and
> Crit'Air 3 vehicles will be able to continue driving.
>
> -In Montpellier, Crit'Air 5 and non-classified vehicles have been banned
> from 1 January 2023. However, Crit'Air 4 and Crit'Air 3 vehicles will not
> be subject to these restrictions.
>
> -In Grenoble, Crit'Air vehicles have been banned from driving in the Low
> Emission Zone since 7 July 2023. These restrictions will apply from 1
> January 2024 for Crit'Air 4 cars and from 1 January 2025 for Crit'Air 4
> cars, and are limited to certain hours (Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm).
>
> -In Reims, the ban applies to Crit'Air 4 and 5 vehicles from 1 January
> 2023. The restrictions do not apply to Crit'Air 3 vehicles.
>
>
>

--
Spike

Since 2008, German cities can legally designate low-emission zones that only motorized vehicles with an emissions sticker are allowed to enter. This sticker is called Umweltplakette or Feinstaubplakette in German. Older and polluting vehicles are not eligible for emissions stickers and are as a result barred from entering low-emission zones.

The German emissions sticker comes in three colors: red, yellow and green. The red sticker is for the most polluting vehicles, the yellow sticker for slightly less polluting vehicles and and the green sticker for the least polluting vehicles.

As of 2021, vehicles with a red emissions sticker are no longer allowed to enter any low-emission zones in Germany. Red stickers are therefore no longer for sale. Vehicles with a yellow sticker are only allowed to enter the low-emission zone of Neu-Ulm in Bavaria. Unless you plan to visit Neu-Ulm, obtaining a yellow sticker is not very useful.

Vehicles with a green sticker on the other hand, can enter all low-emission zones in Germany. This green emissions sticker is the one you should obtain if you intend to visit German cities with a low-emission zone.
Eligibility for the green emissions sticker

The following vehicles are eligible for the green sticker:

Vehicles equipped with an electric engine such as the Tesla Model S.
Vehicles equipped with a petrol, LPG or hybrid engine that meet the requirements of emission standard EURO 1 (1 January 1993 and newer).
Passenger vehicles (M1) and light commercial vehicles (N1) with a diesel engine that meet emission standard EURO 4 (1 January 2006 and newer).
Trucks (N2 and N3) and buses (M2 and M3) with a diesel engine that meet emission standard EURO 4 (1 October 2006 and newer).
Vehicles equipped with a diesel engine that meet emission standard EURO 3 and are retrofitted with a diesel particulate filter (DPF).

Please note that the years mentioned between parentheses are indicative only. For instance, a vehicle with a diesel engine from before 2006 can already meet the EURO 4 requirements, while other vehicles from 2006 or later may not. The latter is often the case with motorhomes and campervans, but also depends on the manufacturer of the vehicle.

On many vehicle registration certificates issued within the European Union, the emission standard is mentioned under item V. The vehicle category (M1, M2, M3, N1, N2 or N3 as indicated above) is mentioned under item J and the fuel type under item P. Item B shows the date of first admission.

A low-emission zone in Germany is a zone which motorized vehicles can only enter with an emissions sticker. In German, these zones are called Umweltzone which translates as environmental zone. As of 2023, Germany has 52 low-emission zones comprising more than 70 cities. Most of these are in the states Baden-Württemberg and Nordrhein-Westfalen. An overview including a map with all zones can be found on this page.

Umweltzone

The beginning of a low-emission zone is indicated by the sign on the left. The sign on the right indicates the end of a zone. Keep in mind that these signs may not be placed along minor roads leading into and out of a low-emission zone.