Travelling to France this summer....

[SuffolkBoy]

Hi all,

I have just read an article about new environmental rules in France.

Apparently, if you don't display an anti-pollution sticker, costing about £4, you could fall foul of the new rules.

Driving in Paris, Lyon and Grenoble without one will land a fine of £117.

You can buy a sticker from www.certificate-air.gouv.fr and these should be delivered in 30 days, but the RAC reports that one took 6 weeks to arrive.

What I am not clear about at the moment is whether you need one of these stickers even though you are driving into one of these cities.

Has anyone else heard of these new rules and bought a sticker yet?

[Julianpms]

I live just outside Paris and confirm that the stickers are required. In Paris, they are mandatory from 8AM to 8PM Monday to Friday, and may also be used to control access to the city during times of especially heavy pollution. Other cities (Lyon, Grenoble, Lille, Strasbourg) are progressively applying similar measures, but you'll need to check with those cities (e.g. through their tourist offices) what exact rules apply there.
If you aren't planning to drive into Paris or one of the other cities concerned, then you don't need a sticker.

[SuffolkBoy]

Originally Posted by Julianpms

I live just outside Paris and confirm that the stickers are required. In Paris, they are mandatory from 8AM to 8PM Monday to Friday, and may also be used to control access to the city during times of especially heavy pollution. Other cities (Lyon, Grenoble, Lille, Strasbourg) are progressively applying similar measures, but you'll need to check with those cities (e.g. through their tourist offices) what exact rules apply there.
If you aren't planning to drive into Paris or one of the other cities concerned, then you don't need a sticker.

Thanks for the information, Julian - we are not planning to go to any of the three cities that I saw mentioned in the article or the four that you mention.

We are travelling from Dieppe to the Loire Valley via Rouen, and from there down to a village outside of Carcassonne, so do not intend to go into any cities.

[xsaab]

However being a suspicious Francophobe I would tend to wear the sticker in France even in the most remote village so as to remove the ability to be the subject of any pollution criticism. Even if the criticizer is driving a 30 year old diesel car (but made in France).

Also you never know if your are going to be rerouted to visit cities to get assistance for any human or mechanical issue.