Paris Bans Vehicles Older Than 1997 On Weekdays

In its attempt to reduce air pollution in its capital, the French government has come up with a new solution.

Paris has been suffering from dangerous smog levels for a while now and authorities tried just about everything to fix the problem; from banning diesels to having “car-free” days.

Now they’ve gone one step further: starting July 1, all cars registered before 1997 and motorcycles registered before 2000 will be banned from the city center during weekdays – according to Le Monde.

Tracking every automobile’s pollution status will be color-coded stickers, which will organize vehicles into six categories. These vignettes will allow a better filtering of the traffic in the French capital. Nearly 10 percent of all vehicles will be affected by the measure.

The embargo will get more stringent over time, as by 2020 only cars registered after 2011 will be allowed on the road – and it won’t be that much of a surprise if other cities follow suit now that a precedent has been set.

PHOTO GALLERY