Program 2 | Low Emission Zones : the challenge of professional LCV users
Context
Air pollution is responsible for 40,000 deaths a year in France, and for the development of many pathologies. Road transport, and in particular ICE vehicles, are the main source of emissions. These pollutants have a short-term local impact, to which the poorest people are the most exposed.
LEZ are a local are a local measure designed to reduce air pollution by progressively restricting access to city centers for the highest-emitting vehicles.
Introduced in 2019 by the LOM law (Mobility orientation Law) for cities recording regular exceedances of regulatory air pollution thresholds, this measure is reinforced in 2021 by the Climate and Resilience law, which requires all cities with more than 150,000 inhabitants to set up a LEZ by 2025.
Following the example of Grand Paris metropole, some cities are pursuing a proactive policy to achieve their air quality objectives, and have announced a timetable that will exclude Crit’Air 2 vehicles (meaning a ban on all diesel vehicles). Implementing this timetable requires unprecedented preparation and accompanying measures. These measures will play a decisive role in ensuring acceptability to the populations affected.
Description
This program focuses on professional users of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and industrial vehicles (IVs), who will be particularly affected by the Crit’Air 2 exclusion stage, since 97% of the fleet is made up of diesel vehicles.
The diversity of activities carried out by this category of users means that their needs are extremely varied, requiring a specific approach for each type of professional in the design and implementation of support measures tailored to each one. For the most part, they have to turn to technological alternatives, foremost among which is electrification. However, the nature of the company, its size and its financial situation, all condition their ability to make the transition.
The tool, which has been tested in Strasbourg and Lyon, is based on an objective assessment of the challenges faced by each category of user, according to sector of activity, fleet size and electro-compatibility. Among other things, it enables support proposals to be differentiated according to needs, schemes to be sized and targeted, the impact of exemptions to be assessed, and the timetable for the EPZ to be put into perspective with fleet renewal.
