Air pollution
The Vaudois plan against ozone peaks is cooler than in Geneva
Prohibiting polluting cars would be disproportionate and offer too expensive public transport, estimates the Vaud government.
Vaud and Geneva have different action plans against ozone peaks. (24 hours/Philippe Maeder)
VQH
- In the air that the Vaudois breathe, the threshold of 180 µg/m³ of ozone is not exceeded, on an average time.
- The canton of Vaud refuses to prohibit polluting vehicles, judging the disproportionate measure.
- The Vaudois plan only provides reduced prices in public transport.
- In Geneva, stronger measures are applied.
Faced with ozone peaks, the system of the state of Vaud is not as restrictive as Geneva. At the end of the lake, the ozone concentration threshold of 180 µg/m³ on an hourly average being exceeded on one of the measurement stations (223 in Meyrin), the Geneva government limits the circulation of the most polluting cars, lowers the speed on the highway to 80 km/h and makes public transport free.
Less pollution in the canton of Vaud
Nothing like it on Vaudois soil. First, the threshold of 180 µg/m³ was not exceeded. Wednesday, The environment/air web page From the state of Vaud displays a text titled “CAUTION – Ozone pollution”, indicating that because of the heat wave, “high ozone concentrations are observed throughout cantonal territory” and recommend to limit physical activity, to carpool and to take public transport, to avoid exceeding the threshold of 180 µg/m3. The user is asked to “regularly consult this information page”. Publications on his accounts Linkedin, Instagram and X appear at midday. On the other hand, there is no press release.
Wednesday, the state of Vaud poses that the maximum concentration of ozone on the Lake Geneva is 146 µg/m³ on an average time since the start of the heat wave. It was higher in the North Vaudois (Yverdon and Payerne), with a value of 158. Third region indicated, the Chablais closes the walk with 126.
If the ozone threshold was exceeded
Then, if the threshold of 180 µg/m³ was exceeded, what would happen? The limitation of 80 km/h on the highway would be applied, but the most polluting vehicles would not be prohibited. “To have a sensitive effect on air quality, differentiated circulation in the canton of Vaud would require being implemented on the entire canton with more severe criteria than those retained by the Canton of Geneva,” explains the communication department of the General Directorate of the Environment. So this measure would be “disproportionate with regard to the impacts”.
In addition, the Vaudois plan does not provide for free public transport, but only a “promotion” of these. Concretely, “this is a reduced rate with the Firtiq application, as well as reduction vouchers for the purchase of discovery subscriptions”, details the DGE, because “complete management of costs by the canton would imply significant expenses, which appear to be not very proportionate with regard to the expected effects on improving air quality”. The plan, revised in 2023, clearly specifies that this “promotion” is “subject to budgetary availability”.
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