Paris filling stations ban diesel sales as Mayor looks to slash speed limits and boost ‘social justice’
Owners of diesel vehicles in the French capital could face fuel chaos in the near future as four popular forecourts in the city restrict the sale of diesel.
The sale of diesel is set to be banned at four forecourts on Paris’ ring road as Socialist Party Mayor Anne Hidalgo looks to curb the use of the most polluting vehicles and reduce emissions.
According to France 3, TotalEnergies forecourts located at Porte d’Aubervilliers, Porte d’Orléans and Quai d’Issy-les-Moulineaux have paused sales of diesel, as of October 1.
It has been suggested that this is a result of a change in contracts, although experts have warned that it would lead to a “significant transfer” of vehicles to other forecourts which may not be able to handle the demand.
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Further repercussions of the change could see motorists dogged by longer queues at filling stations and in traffic as drivers go in search of fuel in other areas of the city.
This is Money reported that the four petrol stations which have now paused the sale of diesel accounted for half of all diesel receipts in the French capital.
Speaking in 2014, Mayor Anne Hidalgo called for diesel cars to be banned from the French capital by 2020 in a bid to slash pollution.
She noted how 60 per cent of Parisians do not own cars, compared with 40 per cent in 2001, with Hidalgo noting how “things are changing quickly”.
Such plans were delayed, with a new ban set to begin at the start of 2025 impacting diesel and older models of petrol cars as part of its Crit’Air scheme.
All drivers are required to have a Crit’Air sticker to denote the class of their vehicle and its emissions output, based on six categories.
Taking to LinkedIn, Hidalgo, who has been Mayor since April 2014, said she had also kept to her commitment to slash the speed limit along the same ring road around the city.
The Mayor said the speed limit has gradually decreased to 50km/h (31mph) as the city attempts to further cut emissions, noting how there has been a 40 per cent drop in air pollution over the last 10 years.
She added: “This is a measure of social justice and public health! The ring road is going to be transformed. Today, 80 per cent of motorists on the ring road are alone in their cars.
“Soon, the Olympic Way, a legacy of the Games, will become a lane reserved for carpooling, public transport, taxis, health and emergency vehicles and people with reduced mobility.”
Anne Hidalgo has been one of the world’s most vocal politicians when it comes to changing transport policy to reduce pollution and make roads safer for all.
In February, Parisians voted to triple parking charges for SUVs to almost £200 for six hours worth of parking in an attempt to get larger, more polluting vehicles off the road.
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Paris also became the first major city in Europe to ban the use of rental electric scooters to crack down on injuries and deaths from accidents.
GB News has contacted TotalEnergies for a comment.