While many in the UK are focused on the expansion of London’s ULEZ, now set to go ahead on 29th August, riders heading for France this summer may need to buy a Crit’Air sticker to display on their bike. They’ll need one to visit a whole list of cities, including Lyon, Marseille and Toulouse as well as Paris.

The screen stickers aren’t expensive (only £3.65, and they last the life of the vehicle) but failure to display one could lead to a fine of £150, which is projected to increase to £600 next year.

Coming in six colours, they apply to all motorised vehicles, from mopeds to HGVs, and class each one according to its emissions – the idea is to keep older more polluting vehicles out of some urban areas. Bikes meeting the Euro3 standard will need a yellow Crit’Air while for Euro4 bikes the colour is purple, and Euro5 machines don’t need a sticker at all. Electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles get the coveted green sticker, giving them preferential access and parking in low emissions zones.

Crit’Air schemes are now running in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg, Rouen, Toulouse, Nice, Montpellier and Reims. Riders need to apply for a Crit’Air sticker before they travel to France, at here

More details of the low emission zones, and which Crit’Air colours are allowed where, can be found here

Jim Freeman, Chair of the BMF, said: “You have been warned! Another important thing to remember is that you really do have to get them online, you can’t just buy one over the counter, when you need it. Mind you, I’ve been to France many, many, times, by bike, I’ve never visited most of those cities, except Reims, and I think that was in a car. The joy of riding in France is ‘la France profonde’, not the cities. Paris, like London, is not for the faint hearted, if you’re not used to big city riding. ”

Written by Peter Henshaw

Top image courtesy of  Explore France