Due to the persistence of an episode of pollution with fine particulates, the movement of vehicles with “Critair” vignettes will not be restricted for the first time in Rennes on Sunday, the prefecture of Ile-et-Villain announced on Saturday.

This is the first time differentiated traffic has been activated in the Breton capital since the adoption of this device in Rennes in 2018.

The Critair system classifies vehicles into six categories, with green, orange or gray stickers, the most polluting cars that do not have stickers. From the fourth day of pollution, the most polluting vehicles, ie 11% of vehicles, can no longer move inside the Rennes Ring Road.

This is supposed to allow a 20% reduction in nitrogen dioxide emissions and a 21.5% drop in fine particulate matter, according to the province and metropolis of Rennes.

“This episode of pollution is due to a combination of favorable weather conditions for the accumulation of pollutants in the atmosphere from multiple sources such as transportation and agricultural activity, to which imported pollution from neighboring regions is added”, writes the prefecture in a press release, specifying that While stating that “alert process” for pollution was maintained for the entire department till Sunday midnight.

According to a prefectural decree, an episode of fine particulate pollution (PM10) was declared on Thursday 23 March.

From the sixth day of pollution, vehicles with 4 or 5 stickers should also be banned from circulation, that is, one vehicle in a total of four.

The prefecture had already announced on Friday reducing the maximum speed to 20 km/h on 2×2 lanes and highways.

In France, air pollution is responsible for 48,000 premature deaths per year, according to the Ministry of Ecological Transitions.