On Friday, Geneva’s parliament voted in favour of a plan to progressively ban the most polluting vehicles from the city centre when air pollution reaches certain levels.
© Veerathada Khaipet | Dreamstime.com
While the legal details need to be worked out, the plan, which was put together by the canton’s executive, could be modeled on the French system.
The French system places vehicles into five categories. Ratings depend on the type of vehicle, fuel and Euro rating. For example, a private petrol car with a Euro 3 rating would be placed in category 3 – click here for a simulation. Geneva could have different ratings and categories.
As air pollution rises, more and more vehicles would be excluded from entering the centre of the city. Air pollution surpassing level one would exclude around 12% of cars, which together cause an estimated 26% of vehicle pollution. Higher levels of pollution would exclude further vehicles. Drivers ignoring the ban could be fined CHF 500, according to 20 Minutes.
An existing definition of air pollution levels is shown here.
Under the plan, when air pollution reaches level two, public transport would be free.
In addition to selectively banning vehicles and offering free public transport, the speed limit on Geneva’s ring road would be reduced to 80km/h above a certain pollution level.
Geneva is the first Swiss canton to accept a plan to restrict vehicles based on their emissions, according to RTS.
Current air pollution levels in Geneva are shown on this website. Pollution is based on levels of NO2, O3 and PM10.
More on this:
RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
20 Minutes article (in French)
Air quality in Geneva (in French)
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