In an interview with RTL radio, Denis Baupin, Deputy Mayor for the City of Paris, said sport utility vehicles and old diesel cars are likely to be targeted in upcoming test restrictions.
When asked what Parisian motorists who drive such vehicles should do, Baupin said, “Sell it and buy a vehicle that’s compatible with city life”.
“I’m sorry, but having a sport utility vehicle in a city makes no sense," he added.
Many other European cities, including London and Berlin, already have low emission zones, with varying restrictions on the type of vehicles targeted. In London, drivers have to pay £10 to enter the city during a weekday, but hybrids and electric vehicles enter for free.
But Paris will be the first to impose an all-out ban on gas-guzzlers from its city limits.
Baupin said the city will begin to test the initiative next year, although several key specifics of the program -- including what types of cars would be affected, in what neighbourhoods, during what hours or periods of the year, and the penalty for a violation – still need to be worked out.
Within the next two years, other French cities like Lyon, Grenolbe and Aix-en-Provence will test similar restrictions.
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