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Ah, summer vacation. For one person, it 's a little recovery, for the other, the holidays bring extra stress.
If you are planning a road trip across Europe, there are a few things you can do to prevent yourself from coming home even steeper. One of these things is to prepare your trip well.
For several years, several European countries have been busy setting up so-called environmental zones. Mostly old diesel cars are the coil. The rules for gasoline cars are slightly more flexible because diesel fuel emits more soot and particulate matter.
In the Netherlands, we also have a number of environmental zones. In 2007, the then Minister of the Environment, Jacqueline Cramer, opened the first environmental zone in Utrecht. Since then, cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Nijmegen have followed this example.
From 2019, Arnhem is the most environmentally friendly city in the Netherlands. Diesel cars before 2004 are no longer welcome in the city center.
Back to Europe. In most countries, the concept is almost the same, but sometimes there are other rules. If you are well aware of this, it can easily save you a few dozen to a few hundred euros in fines.
For the sake of simplicity, we assume that you are driving in a normal passenger car. It is useful to check in advance what Euro standard your car has. This is a kind of environmental quality mark (you can check here what standard your car has.)
Standards are determined based on the year of construction of the car:
- Euro 5: year of construction 2009
- Euro 4: built in 2005
- Euro 3: year 2000
- Euro 2: construction year 1996
- Euro 1: year 1992
Belgium: Antwerp and Brussels
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In Brussels, you can not enter the city from the beginning of this year if your diesel car has a Euro 1 standard. From 1 January 2019, diesel vehicles with Euro 2 standard and petrol cars will be banned from the Euro 1 standard.
In Antwerp, you can only enter the city from the beginning of 2017 if you have a diesel with a Euro 4 standard. With a gas car, it's a Euro 1 standard. In 2020 and 2025, the rules become even stricter.
If you drive in the low-emission zone in Belgium, your car will be recorded with a camera. The registration plate is checked and if your vehicle does not meet the requirements, you will be fined 150 euros. Many times you get a higher fine.
France: Paris, Lille and several other cities
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Before savoring a delicious croissant in the heart of Paris, you really need a color sticker on the windshield of your car. In France, they work with stickers, also called Crit & Air, based on the Euro standard of your vehicle. There are 28 zones (permanent or temporary) in France, where the emissions of your car are monitored.
An example of a permanent area is downtown Paris where you always need a sticker. You can enter a temporary zone without a sticker; you only need a valid sticker in case of prolonged pollution of the air.
Check here the sticker you need. Note: The sticker is not in the right place or is not it easy to read? Even then, you get a fine that can quickly reach hundreds of euros.
Italy: Milan, Rome, Florence and several other cities
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Ah, the land of delicious pizzas, pastas and picturesque villages. But beware of white signs with a red circle with the text: Zona a Traffico Limitato.
Environmental zones in Italy were designed to protect historic buildings from dirty cargo and are complex. If you do not have to enter the zone, do not do that. This can make a big bill.
Rome, Milan, Pisa and Verona are for example cities with one (or more) environmental zones. So be careful: before you know it, you drive in an area and you are a few dozen euros away.
For a few euros, you can buy a special environmental sticker for one (or more) days as a tourist, depending on the destination. In this way, you can always enjoy your favorite city carelessness.
Spain: Barcelona
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Until the hot south? Then pay attention to the signs in the cities, like Madrid, with the text Area of Prioridad Residencial (APR). If you drive (accidentally), fines can easily rise to a few dozen euros.
Barcelona is the only city in Spain that has a temporary environmental zone that is accessible only to cars with an environmental sticker. The sticker is available in four colors
Blue for the cleanest and green-blue cars for hybrid vehicles. The green sticker is for diesel cars with Euro 6 standard and petrol cars with Euro 4 standard. Finally, the yellow sticker for petrol cars of the year 2000 and cars 2006 diesel. For other vehicles, there is no sticker.
Germany: Berlin, Dortmund, Munich and several other cities
Photo: Pixabay
Our eastern neighbors are also working with special ecological stickers for your vehicle, just like France and Spain. There are three different colors (red, yellow and green) and there are about 60 environmental zones in Germany. Check here what sticker you need.
In Germany, some areas, such as Hamburg, even have a complete ban on diesel. So be careful if you have an old car (diesel) and you plan to go in that direction.
The environmental zones called Umweltzonen are indicated by panels. Most of the German city centers are only accessible to people with a sticker Umweltplakette or an environmental sticker
ALSO READ: Why is a two-week holiday lost
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