Apparently, classic cars that were manufactured in excess of 30 years ago will still be allowed to drive around the streets of Paris despite a ban on older vehicles not being allowed to do so at certain times in the city. The ban came into effect on the 1st July 2016.
Classic cars over 30 years of age will still be allowed to drive around the streets of Paris.
Older cars registered before 1st January 1997 will not be allowed to drive in Paris between the hours of 8am to 8pm between Monday and Friday so they are free to do so at the weekend as well as late in the evening through to the early hours of the morning. This decision has no doubt been made in an endeavor to reduce the pollution levels in what is a wonderful, romantic city.
It has been estimated that in the region of 500,000 motorists will be affected by this ban. Anyone found ignoring the ban would be fined a significant sum of money. The rules in respect of this ban on older vehicles are to be made more stringent by 2020 as only vehicles built after 2011 and motorbikes manufactured after July 2015 will be permitted in Paris by then. This may lead to a greater number of Parisians replacing their older cars for newer ones.
It will be interesting to see if any other cities follow the decision that the French have made in this respect.
Obviously, whilst it is important that as much as possible is done to reduce the carbon emissions that we see in our cities, this news is good for the classic car owner of whom there are no doubt several in Paris. We are sure that all you classic car enthusiasts would agree that there is something special about seeing a classic car driving around one or more cities here in the UK. Let us hope that this continues although we would welcome the views of our readers in this respect.
