Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe wants to ban older cars. But his critics say focusing on heavy polluters might lower pollution rates faster.
If Bertrand Delanoe has his way, by 2014 only cars respecting the Euro2 standard will be allowed within Paris. What is the Euro2 standard? Is this the best way to reduce dangerous emissions from cars in Paris? Will the law pass?
According to Yves Maroselli, writing in Le Point, nothing could be less clear. The worst pollutants will not be affected, as the Euro 2 standard does not call for the necessary filters, and new diesel engines, which would still be authorized, continue to produce dangerous particulates*. The chief advantage would be to reduce slightly the overall number of cars competing for road space.
Maroselli points out that 60% of Paris' public buses fail to respect environmental norms, setting a poor example.
As one French tweeter observed, not everyone can afford a new car. (@ELISA_IEJ Mesure de Delanoë absurde : interdire les voitures datant d'avant 1997. Tout le monde ne peut pas se payer une voiture neuve.)
Could the otherwise environment- friendly Delanoe be stooping to empty political gestures designed to boost the car industry by forcing consumers to buy new (preferably French) cars? In any event the measure does seem rather lacking in finesse. Let's hope it improves after some constructive criticism...
We are all for reducing air pollution in Paris. How to do this best remains a question which still awaits an answer...
*"Elle est plus discutable du point de vue de l'amélioration recherchée de la qualité de l'air. En effet, il est bon de rappeler que les principaux polluants mis en cause par les mesures récentes sont les particules et les oxydes d'azote. Or, la norme Euro5 qui a rendu obligatoire le filtre à particules n'est entrée en vigueur qu'en 2009, tandis que même les voitures diesel neuves continuent à émettre trois fois plus d'oxydes d'azote que les essence..."
