Crit Air Scheme

I have received my Critair badge from France and affixed it to my camper. How do I know which areas I can enter when in France ?. Do they advertise which catagories can enter , as does London with its emissions zone, or can I just proceed ???  They give no information with the badge.

There's lots on here about that, but if you gave the year of your van in your personal details it would help members to offer advice.

Suggest you try a search. 

Sorry about that. I have an 08 Mercedes based Devon and the Critair badge is a No 3

I asked this on Facebook and was told that it is up to the user to do a web search before driving in to a zone. There is an app to help but the Facebook search makes the ASOF one look advanced so I can't post a link.

Hi Dave

I can't believe that's true???  Is it!!!! That means if you don't have internet access you are deep in the merde!!

I hesitated to offer any suggestions because I don't know myself, but I heard there are big signs at the edge of the zones saying which badge numbers are allowed in that day.

Someone will know for sure. 

M R 2 (deux) indeed. I thought it would be signed as you say, and made that suggestion but was informed of the app. I was then going to come on here and ask but I forgot.

As you say, somebody will know for certain. I have until September to need to know.

I think you are right Dave - as far as I am aware a warning is displayed on signs as you enter each zone and I believe it is manually enforced - no cameras.
We are off this weekend to France - will report back when we get home in July unless we get locked up in the meantime! 
Our Merc based Malvern has got a 2 badge - so not sure how far that will get us!

But which Dave is right?

Ah spare us the idiocy of beaurocrats!

If there are only signs at the entry points that's no use if you are in the zone already. If you are camping and don't have a decent signal it's going to be hard to determine if you are allowed to travel. You may have to travel to get a signal in order to discover you aren't allowed to travel.

What if you're in a zone and they change the threshold on the day you need to leave to get the ferry you booked?

I'm sure it''ll all become clear in the end...

JandJ wrote:I'm sure it''ll all become clear in the end...

that is the intention of low emmision zones

Sorry Dave, Dave - I was replying to Gromit Dave!

This is the link you need to find out for today and tomorrow what vehicles are allowed into each zone.

https://www.crit-air.fr/en/information-about-the-critair-vignette/french-environmental-zones-zcr/paris-zone-zcr.html#c26598

Look at the box on the right hand side for the area you are in or wish to traverse and click. I have also read else where that you can phone for an update.

Interesting that the areas affected cover a substantial portion of France, and it could theoretically be difficult to travel from Cherbourg to San Sebastion given a scenario of older van and widespread pollution.

What ever the rights and wrongs of it, it now is almost essential to have a sticker, and as a visitor to that country I feel it is important to respect their laws. At a cost of €5 or less for a one time permission it makes sense. I read elsewhere that french motorists in Paris are being prosecuted in increasing numbers for failure to display.

As an aside, the sticker is designed to ‘self destruct’ if you try and move it off your screen. It is difficult to peel off and highlights the word VOID when removed.

Davy

TeamRienza wrote:This is the link you need to find out for today and tomorrow what vehicles are allowed into each zone.

https://www.crit-air.fr/en/information-about-the-critair-vignette/french-environmental-zones-zcr/paris-zone-zcr.html#c26598

Look at the box on the right hand side for the area you are in or wish to traverse and click. I have also read else where that you can phone for an update.


Davy

Good gracious ! Do they offer a degree course in Understanding Crit-air requirements ?

I thought I understood it and, given that we have had the sticker ( yellow/ 2) for over a year now, thought we were well covered for every situation.

Not so sure now after reading the link.

Thanks Davy - I think!!!!!

It looks as if it's impossible to traverse across France without frequently consulting the internet or your smart phone App - which of course, you can't do without pulling right off the road onto a designated parking area!!

It also assumes you actually have a smart phone, and the App, and good enough eyesight to read the tiny text on the small screen.

It makes you wonder what genius thought it all up

I don’t think it is overly difficult, I have a yellow 2 sticker. If say I wanted to drive from a campsite at La Rochelle to another down towards Arcachon tomorrow, then I simply go to this page

https://www.crit-air.fr/en/information-about-the-critair-vignette/french-environmental-zones-zcr/paris-zone-zcr.html#c26598

And from the box on the right hand side select,

https://www.crit-air.fr/en/information-about-the-critair-vignette/french-environmental-zones-zcr/french-environmental-zones.html

I then can see there is a controlled area at Bordeaux, so I click

https://www.crit-air.fr/nc/en/neu/green-zones-app/zone-detail/zonea/show.html#aktuellerStatus

And there are the coloured stickers with either a green tick or X to show status.

Two points. This is a simplified step by step description. In reality I would already know about the area I was heading and simply jump to the last step.

Secondly, it remains to be seen how often, if at all, the areas are affected. Cities will be a different kettle of fish.

Hope this helps.

Davy

Thanks Davy.

In a theoretical sense it helps, but I'm not so sure about the practical situation!!

From the satnav discussions that have been plentiful on here, I'm sure most people don't know in advance what towns or areas they will be driving through - until the satnav takes them there! This will be specially true for a longish journey of 200 miles or more. (That certainly includes me as I have no sense of direction. Thanks goodness we have inside lavvies these days!!!  )

What we need is a "ping" and pop-up on the stanav's Live Traffic facility to show when approaching a zone, indicating the lowest number allowed to pass through. That shouldn't be too difficult to implement, and could be presented on almost an hourly basis.

The satnav could then offer a detour around the zone, which you could choose to accept if your certificate number was too high, 

I wonder if it will ever happen? It seems like a logical solution to me, given that satnavs are so universally used these days.

Thanks for the info so far. However my internet is only via a laptop and I aint got a smart phone so "wing and a prayer"

I have the answer Constable . . . know what I mean? (Wink, wink)

"Crit Air Monsieur Le Flic - Qu'est-ce que c'est.

Oh regarde, vous venez de laisser tomber cette note de cinquante euros!"

I would not worry too much Constable, providing you have "Vignette" you will be ok.
As I understand it, the French Crit Air system is divided into 2 elements;- ZCR (Environmental Zone) and ZPA (Air Protection Zone). 
The ZCR covers very large areas of the country and providing you have a classified Vignette then you can drive through - vehicles that are not classified or cannot get a vignette can only drive through at night. If you do not have a vignette displayed then you will be fined!!
The ZPA only affects large cities, municipalities and some of the valleys - in these places there maybe restrictions depending on the weather conditions and then it will be declared what class of vehicles (via the vignette) are allowed to travel through the area. Knowing the French as I do, I would have thought that there would be clear signage as you enter the area.
It is interesting to note that there are a number of people/authorities that can declare/impose the restrictions including the local Prefecture! So I am not sure how that will be broadcast to the wider world other than a local sign!
I think it will be mostly used as a revenue stream and to catch the odd tourist that has not complied with the requirements. 
So providing you have your Vignette displayed in the correct way on your windscreen then there should not be an issue - as I read it vehicles with Classe 1, 2 & 3 Vignettes would only be stopped from driving through in really bad conditions. It is mainly lorries and heavy vehicles that would generally feel the effects of any restrictions.

Thanks Liam.

A bit more useful info.

Liam wrote:
 
So providing you have your Vignette displayed in the correct way on your windscreen then there should not be an issue - 

Out of interest, what is the correct way to display the vignette ? I can't remember any instructions coming with it- though might well be wrong- but we have it in the same place, in front of the driver, where our UK tax disk was. 

A few years back we encountered a rather grumpy border guard on the German/ Swiss border. As soon as we came to a halt next to him he snatched open my door- the passenger door- grabbed the money I had waiting in my hand, slapped the vignette, lop-sided, onto the windscreen in front of me and waved us on our way.  That vignette is also made up of concentric circles so not removable in one piece and we were, literally, stuck with it there all that year. No-one noticed or complained however.

I seem to recall that it had to be placed on the lower right hand side of the windscreen (for UK vehicles that would be the drivers side) - presumably in order that it can be seen by the relevant persons in Europe who would normally be standing on right side of the road.

Liam wrote:I seem to recall that it had to be placed on the lower right hand side of the windscreen (for UK vehicles that would be the drivers side) - presumably in order that it can be seen by the relevant persons in Europe who would normally be standing on right side of the road.

Yes Liam, I'm sure I saw that in the instructions when we got ours.

I think it even specified that it should be low down and quite close to the pillar.

Thank you all. Looks like it is in the right place.