Paris bans old polluting cars

Paris banned old polluting cars from the streets on Friday as part of its efforts to combat air pollution.

All cars registered before 1 January, 1997, will be barred from the city's streets from Monday to Friday, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Data published by France's public health agency this month showed that air pollution kills 48,000 people each year in France, about 400,000 in Europe and an estimated 3.7 million worldwide.

Some car owners protested by parking their vehicles near the National Assembly and Champs Elysees avenue saying the ban will cut the resale value of their vehicles.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the ban could be extended in 2020 to all combustion-engine cars that are more than nine years old.

There will be an initial tolerance period, after which motorists who don’t observe the ban will face fines of 35 euros, with the fine amount jumping from the end of the year.

More than 500,000 owners in and around Paris will be hit by the ban, according to 40 million d'Automobilistes, a drivers group, which is taking legal action to seek compensation for the falling value of newly banned vehicles.

According to reports, Norway is planning to ban petrol and diesel-fueled cars from 2025.

Several cities in Europe are also testing anti-pollution or anti-congestion measures based on tolls for city centre access or temporary and selective car bans.