And suddenly, everything collapses. In the middle of a debate night at the National Assembly, theDeputies voted for the outright removal of ZFEs. Yes, those famous low-emission zones that ruled in Lyon, banning access to older and more polluting vehicles. The result: in a close vote – 98 in favor, 51 against – an entire environmental policy is shaking! And Lyon, a leader in the fight against car pollution alongside Paris, is seeing red.
Introduced several years ago, the ZFEs aimed to gradually ban the most polluting cars, those with gasoline engines over 20 years old or diesel engines over 15 years old. In Lyon, their implementation was already well underway, with controls in place, exemptions studied on a case-by-case basis, and round-the-clock enforcement. But this surprise vote, backed by The Republicans and the National Rally, with support from La France Insoumise and a few Macronists, could sweep all of that away in one fell swoop.
A measure not yet definitively adopted but likely
While the measure is still far from being set in stone – the Constitutional Council could reject it – it is already causing quite a stir. The government, which proposed a compromise targeting only the most polluted areas, was firmly turned down. And the ecologists, furious, are denouncing a decision that goes against the urgency of the climate crisis, especially since air pollution claims nearly 40,000 lives in France every year.
In the background, there's an explosive debate about the balance between ecology and social justice. Because while low-emission zones (ZFE) have been criticized for their impact on low-income households, their abrupt removal poses another threat: a massive setback in public health. In Lyon, the question is now straightforward: what will remain of the ZFE, and above all, what will take its place!