A new bill would let cities charge drivers for using the road. Will local governments jump at the chance? If the French government gets its way, drivers will soon to have to pay to drive into France’s big cities.
The announcement comes in the first draft of a new blockbuster transit bill that was released to the media last Wednesday and is due to be voted on in the spring. Among a legion of new measures (most of them quite small scale) comes a new law that would allow any city of over 100,000 inhabitants to levy a congestion charge on vehicles seeking to access their city cores. While the decision to introduce the charges would ultimately rest with local rather than national authorities, the bill could bring about major changes in driving habits and pollution levels across the country. It also sets the scene for a major stand-off between drivers and the authorities.