Cars registered prior to 1997 will no longer have driving access to the streets of Paris on weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm starting July 1st, 2016, L’Automobile magazine reports.
The ban will apply to gasoline- and diesel-powered cars and light-duty trucks (under 3.5 tons), as well as 2-wheelers registered prior to June 1st, 2000.
Buses and heavy trucks manufactured before October 2001 can’t drive across the French capital since last September.
Why such drastic measures? The idea is to improve air quality in Paris. Experts at Inovev estimate that more than 500,000 vehicles will be affected. The city will compensate owners either with a 50% rebate on an Autolib subscription or by covering a third of the cost of a bicycle, for example.
By 2020, all vehicles registered prior to 2011 may also be banned from Paris.