Motorists in Paris are now obliged to display anti-pollution stickers on their vehicles.
The requirement took effect on 16 January and includes foreign registered cars, according to the Paris City Hall.
The French capital has been struggling to control air pollution. In the past two months restrictions on traffic flow have had to be introduced to cope with several episodes of high pollution. Free public transport has occasionally been made available.
The new stickers are designed to stop older, more polluting cars from driving in Paris at peak times.
Six colour-coded stickers denote the vehicle’s emission quality and energy efficiency as well as its registration date. They range from green for electric vehicles to grey for the ones which pollute the most.
Any vehicle registered earlier than 1997, motorbikes before June 2000, and trucks and busses before 2001 are banned from driving in the city from Monday to Friday between 8am and 8pm. Other polluting vehicles may also be in this category.
Failure to have an appropriate sticker may result in a fine, beginning at €68.
Previously, spikes of high pollution were met with a ban on half the vehicles in Paris based on odd and even registration plate numbers.
From 16 January, pollution spikes will see authorities restricting traffic by banning those with various coloured stickers, beginning with the most polluting grey-stickered vehicles.
