In January we brought you a story about European ULEZ – Ultra Low Emission Zones, as well as French Crit’Air rules and their forthcoming effects on scooter riders. Prompted by a reader’s email, we thought we’d better bring you an update because it is already starting to limit where we can ride our scooters and it’s going to get a whole lot worse. Limiting our travel options at home (if you’re reading this in the UK) and across Europe.
It’s not just old two-strokes that will be charged
London
From 8th April 2019, London will be operating a ULEZ zone, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week within the current congestion charging zone. Motorcycles and scooters will be included.
Motorcycles not meeting Euro 3 regulations (if your scooter was registered before 1st July 2007) will be charged at £12.50 per day to ride in London. Registered owners living within the ULEZ will be granted a 100% discount for a limited time to allow them time to replace their vehicle with a newer/lower emission vehicle. Good news though, in London historic vehicles are exempt (for the time being at least). Will this push up the price/desirability of classic scooters in London? We’ll have to wait and see…
You can get more information about ULEZ London here
Crit’Air 1 sticker spotted in Paris recently by Sticky
France
Certain areas of France (Paris, Lyon, Grenoble and Lille) banned the use of scooters built before 2000 at peak times. That law came in on April 1st this year. To drive in the city you’ll need to apply for a Crit’Air vignette sticker (they cost €4.18) and upload a copy of your V5 to prove its eligibility. Not having a sticker could land you an on the spot fine of £58.63 and vehicles without a sticker will be banned from the road and motorway network between 6am-10pm.
More worryingly from November 1st 33 municipalities of Strasbourg became part of the scheme. Even the Mont Blanc Tunnel has banned the use of pre-Euro 3 vehicles and during times of high pollution, Euro 3 are banned as well. Vehicles (including foreign) are checked for compliance before being allowed to enter the tunnel.
These are the signs to look out for when entering/exiting a Crit’Air zone in France.
What is Crit’Air?
It’s an air quality sticker for your vehicle, needed if driving into or parking in French low emission zones. There are 6 classes of Crit’Air sticker from the least polluting/zero emission electric/hydrogen vehicles to Crit’Air 5 for the most polluting. Scooters built before June 2000 won’t be eligible for a sticker, effectively banning the use of classic scooters in the city.
Where can I get a sticker?
There are already scam websites offering stickers at inflated prices, the official website is: Crit’Air
Moving the goalposts
Even though the French scheme only came into force on April 1st this year the restrictions have already been tightened. Before July 1st, vehicles with a Crit’Air 5 sticker could still drive in Paris during the week, whilst older, dirtier vehicles were banned Monday-Friday between 8am-8pm. The ban now includes Crit’Air 5 and further restrictions can be put in place if pollution is expected to be high.
Whoever said scooters were bad for the environment?
Amsterdam
From January 1st, 2018 the whole of the city of Amsterdam will ban scooters built before 01/01/2011. Rotterdam and Utrecht also have Low Emission Zones in place. 55 thousand scooter owners around the municipality of Amsterdam were recently sent letters to warn them about the new rules.
During the first five months of 2018 riders of older scooters will receive a warning if they’re caught in the city for the first time, after that they’ll be hit with a 90 Euro fine.
In a press release, sustainability minister, Abduleheb Choho said “We are doing everything we can to make the air in Amsterdam cleaner”, “That includes unpleasant measures, such as an environmental zone. By carefully warning everyone with a too dirty scooter well in advance, we ensure that the introduction of this environmental zone goes as reasonably as possible.”
Urban Access Regulations
For up to date information and forthcoming legislation the Urban Access Regulations website gives full details and an interactive map of Europe. If in doubt check it out.
There’s one thing for sure, travelling on older (even though we still consider them to be modern) four-stroke scooters and classic machines is going to get a whole lot harder, year by year as new restrictions are put in place.
Words: Iggy
Thanks to: Bill Van Kesteren for additional info and photos
SLUK Shop – the place to be if you’re looking for products that actually work and fit as they should
-
NEW Scootronics 120 watt DC voltage regulator – Vespa/Lambretta
£20.00 Inc VAT (where applicable)
-
NEW Scootronics 120 watt AC voltage regulator (with DC output) – Vespa/Lambretta
£22.50 Inc VAT (where applicable)
-
Tucano Urbano Streamlined neoprene handcovers (muffs)
£47.99 Inc VAT (where applicable)
-
JPP carb spanner/jet holder
£35.00 Inc VAT (where applicable)
-
ScooterNova – Issue 11 | MAGAZINE
£5.00
-
ScooterNova – issues 11-16 | SUBSCRIPTION
£30.00
In January we brought you a story about European ULEZ – Ultra Low Emission Zones, as well as French Crit’Air rules and their forthcoming effects on scooter riders. Prompted by a reader’s email, we thought we’d better bring you an update because it is already starting to limit where we can ride our scooters and it’s going to get a whole lot worse. Limiting our travel options at home (if you\’re reading this in the UK) and across Europe.
London
From 8th April 2019, London will be operating a ULEZ zone, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week within the current congestion charging zone. Motorcycles and scooters will be included.
Motorcycles not meeting Euro 3 regulations (if your scooter was registered before 1st July 2007) will be charged at £12.50 per day to ride in London. Registered owners living within the ULEZ will be granted a 100% discount for a limited time to allow them time to replace their vehicle with a newer/lower emission vehicle. Good news though, in London historic vehicles are exempt (for the time being at least). Will this push up the price/desirability of classic scooters in London? We\’ll have to wait and see…
You can get more information about ULEZ London here
France
Certain areas of France (Paris, Lyon, Grenoble and Lille) banned the use of scooters built before 2000 at peak times. That law came in on April 1st this year. To drive in the city you’ll need to apply for a Crit’Air vignette sticker (they cost €4.18) and upload a copy of your V5 to prove its eligibility. Not having a sticker could land you an on the spot fine of £58.63 and vehicles without a sticker will be banned from the road and motorway network between 6am-10pm.
More worryingly from November 1st 33 municipalities of Strasbourg became part of the scheme. Even the Mont Blanc Tunnel has banned the use of pre-Euro 3 vehicles and during times of high pollution, Euro 3 are banned as well. Vehicles (including foreign) are checked for compliance before being allowed to enter the tunnel.
What is Crit’Air?
It’s an air quality sticker for your vehicle, needed if driving into or parking in French low emission zones. There are 6 classes of Crit’Air sticker from the least polluting/zero emission electric/hydrogen vehicles to Crit’Air 5 for the most polluting. Scooters built before June 2000 won’t be eligible for a sticker, effectively banning the use of classic scooters in the city.
Where can I get a sticker?
There are already scam websites offering stickers at inflated prices, the official website is: Crit\’Air
Moving the goalposts
Even though the French scheme only came into force on April 1st this year the restrictions have already been tightened. Before July 1st, vehicles with a Crit’Air 5 sticker could still drive in Paris during the week, whilst older, dirtier vehicles were banned Monday-Friday between 8am-8pm. The ban now includes Crit’Air 5 and further restrictions can be put in place if pollution is expected to be high.
Amsterdam
From January 1st, 2018 the whole of the city of Amsterdam will ban scooters built before 01/01/2011. Rotterdam and Utrecht also have Low Emission Zones in place. 55 thousand scooter owners around the municipality of Amsterdam were recently sent letters to warn them about the new rules.
During the first five months of 2018 riders of older scooters will receive a warning if they’re caught in the city for the first time, after that they’ll be hit with a 90 Euro fine.
In a press release, sustainability minister, Abduleheb Choho said \”We are doing everything we can to make the air in Amsterdam cleaner\”, \”That includes unpleasant measures, such as an environmental zone. By carefully warning everyone with a too dirty scooter well in advance, we ensure that the introduction of this environmental zone goes as reasonably as possible.\”
Urban Access Regulations
For up to date information and forthcoming legislation the Urban Access Regulations website gives full details and an interactive map of Europe. If in doubt check it out.
There\’s one thing for sure, travelling on older (even though we still consider them to be modern) four-stroke scooters and classic machines is going to get a whole lot harder, year by year as new restrictions are put in place.
Words: Iggy
Thanks to: Bill Van Kesteren for additional info and photos
SLUK Shop – the place to be if you\’re looking for products that actually work and fit as they should
Page not loading…?
Slight technical glitch earlier, normal service has been resumed (probably).
As I predicted classic status vehicles exempt, so all the MPs with their classic Jaguars and Bentley’s (and the rich generally) do not have to dip into their pockets. Oh no old boy you simply can’t mean me and old Genevieve?! Certainly not old chap nor my Silver Ghost!
That 57 LD I was looking at just went up £1000…capitalism, don’t ya love it? 🙁
Time for mass civil disobedience perhaps? What are MAG doing about this dismal tide that will see the less well off “driven”(pardon the pun) off the road?
Guess I’ll have to join all the Comedy Mods on a Chinling Vibrato Vespa clone….bah!
What utter bullshit laws! Excepting rallies that happen once per year or less, one never sees roads choked with classic scooters choking the streets emitting carbon. But every fucking day the roads are packed full of modern cars many of which are diesel and buses and lorries. Even the currently compliant cars emit noxious fumes and it is the sheer number of these, millions upon millions which are responsible for much of this air pollution. Then add electric vehicles which are only green if the energy production is green, which is almost never.
Electricity is mostly made from burning coal, so electric vehicles are some of the highest polluting on the roads today. They simply offload their pollution to where the power plant is and those living downwind. Again, it is the sheer numbers of cars on the roads, not the almost insignificant numbers of scooters. It isn’t Taipei circa 1996 for fucks sake!
That well known Dutch name: Abduleheb Choho
Yes, isn’t that the name of the Little Dutch Boy with his finger in a Dyke? F’nar! 😉
GrandPrix Kev is quite right. even the bloody scientists can’t get a reading to record the level of pollution caused by two stroke scoots and bikes in the UK…even in London. I suppose if a massive tunnel was busy, and pollution high, a large number of two strokes might make it worse, but there really isn’t enough of these vehicles in daily use in the UK to make a jot of difference. Well over 30milllion cars are one of the biggest pollution issues we have. Pollution is far worse in congestion too…
We need the likes of MAG etc, who have connections in Govnt. to lobby against this type of legislation. It is a way of getting votes by looking like the issue is being tackled, without actually tackling the issue at all. There are still plenty of industries and domestic properties that contribute huge amounts of green house gasses into the atmosphere.
I would suggest writing to your MP, but experience has shown me that [very sadly] scooterists will sit and shout and complain in magazines but won’t get off their arses and actually DO something to save their way of life! I hope I am wrong when the time comes….and it’s coming.
The draft London Plan was published on 29 November 2017.
There appears to be a gap between 1973 and 1 July 2007 when traveling in central London, scooterists will pay a daily charge of £12.50 from April 2019.
All vehicles that have a ‘historic’ vehicle tax class or are registered prior to 1 January 1973 will be exempt from the ULEZ.
These vehicles were built before emissions standards came into force and are exempted because of their unsuitability for engine conversion or replacement.
The date from which newly registered motorcycles, moped etc. (Category L) must meet the new emissions standards and be Euro 3 complaint is from 1 July 2007.- I assume anything earlier will have to pay. If a vehicle does not meet the ULEZ emissions standards and the daily ULEZ charge is not paid, a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) will be issued. This penalty, which must be paid by the vehicle’s registered keeper or operator, is in addition to any Congestion Charge or LEZ penalties received. For motorcycles, this will be £130 (reduced to £65 if paid within 14 days).
There is an online survey that closes 28 Feb 2018
https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/environment/air-quality-consultation-phase-3b/consultation