ZFE, parking, traffic jams, fines… “I advise my craftsmen not to take on construction sites in Montpellier,” thunders Christian Poujol

Christian Poujol very angry against the policy on mobility in the Montpellier Metropolis. Midi Libre – RICHARD DE HULLESSEN

Christian Poujol, president of the Hérault Chamber of Trades is up in arms against the ZFE (Low Emission Zone) project that came into force on January 1st and which excludes polluting vehicles from Montpellier and 10 municipalities in the metropolis. He explains that the pollution is along the motorway, the result of the passage of thousands of trucks.

You are harsh with the ZFE that came into force in Montpellier on January 1st…

I am more than harsh, I even advise my craftsmen not to take on construction sites in Montpellier because they will be fined for parking fees, they will be fined because they will get tickets and now, they are forbidden to drive if they do not have clean vehicles. With the ZFE, it has become untenable or they have to triple the price of construction sites to get by. And I'm not talking about the time lost in traffic jams…

A craftsman cannot work peacefully in the Metropolis ?

Clearly not, because we are applying laws and rules that are obsolete today. And I am not against the fight against pollution, but we need to find solutions that apply over time, not by being so radical. I have tried several times, by letter sent to the Metropolis, to propose solutions, but I have never received a response.

Christian Poujol writes to the mayors of the Metropolis

After writing to Michaël Delafosse his opposition to the metropolitan area's mobility plan, Christian Poujol also sent the letter to all the mayors in the area. He reiterates his opposition to the ZFE project, reiterates a "genuine consultation" and submits avenues for reflection, in particular to allow taxis to have parking areas, to have fast charging stations reserved for professionals, to identify reserved lanes or to set up specific accesses to the city center for local businesses (craftsmen, traders, liberal professions, etc.)

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What solutions for example ?

During the time of Georges Frêche, we had succeeded with Jean-Pierre Courseille, president of the CMA at the time, in setting up a sticker to allow craftsmen to access Montpellier without receiving fines for construction sites. With digital tools, we could find new solutions.

For the ZFE, we are told that there will be no control…

But what does that mean ? This is nonsense. They put a no-entry sign on you and they allow you to go through, that's it ? We're standing on our heads. I ordered a survey. Of the 10,000 craftsmen in the Metropolis, 88% answered no to the ZFE. This will also be the theme of my wishes. Craftsmen work with vehicles that don't exist in a clean version. Or they are overpriced!

Are the craftsmen upset ?

It's more than that, they would like to demonstrate but I don't want to. I am the president of a consular chamber, I don't see myself leading a demonstration but the anger is immense. I want to be able to discuss intelligently. I still need to be allowed to dialogue with the president. We must still remember that we have unrivaled know-how, that we are a major economic force… I think they are playing with fire, because all our corporations are concerned and the tone is rising.

But pollution is a reality in the city…

All the studies show that most of the pollution is concentrated along the A9 and the A709. But will we have the courage to remove the thousands of trucks ? The city center is not polluted, with the exception of the 4 Boulevards and the Avenue de la Liberté which are in red.

The president has planned to organize a debate on the ZFE in February in a public session, what do you say to the elected officials ?

I sent the president a letter that gives our position and our requests. Because it's all well and good to want to make us switch to electric, but we don't even have any fast charging stations reserved. Not even for taxis! We also want to discuss the terms of entering the city center. We give an unfavorable opinion to the ZFE and I hope that the metropolitan elected officials will follow this wish.

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