Differentiated circulation came into force on Wednesday in certain sectors of Geneva and suburban municipalities due to a sudden concentration of ozone in the air exceeding the admitted limits. After a reassessment of the situation in the evening, the authorities decided to raise the measure from 10:00 p.m.
“Air quality is currently experiencing an improvement in Geneva,” the air, noise and non -ionizing radiation from the State said at the start of the evening. Public transport remains free until the end of night services, while speed limitation at 80 km/h on the bypass highway was lifted to the publication of the press release.
To be able to travel in the city center on Wednesday, vehicles had to have a Stick’Air macaroon which costs 5 francs. In different colors, it classifies cars and two-wheelers depending on their shows. Due to the deterioration of air quality, the most polluting vehicles – macaroons 4 and 5 – were prohibited. These are cars at least fifteen years old, often with diesel engine.
>> Lire : Public transport will be free on Wednesday in Geneva due to an ozone peak
Prevention checks
Cantonal police and municipal police proceeded on Wednesday. “We are currently in prevention,” said Major Thierry Roulin, head of the gendarmerie road unit at the beginning of the afternoon. If the differentiated traffic had been extended on Thursday, the police would have raged. In the event of an offense, the fine is 100 francs.
The first observations most often showed that motorists were not aware of the measurement and did not have the famous macaroon on the windshield of their vehicle. They did not pay more attention to the panels arranged at the entrance to the areas where the differentiated traffic applied.
>> Listen to the forum report in Geneva Wednesday:
Second application
The law targeting the most polluting vehicles was only applied once, shortly after its entry into force in January 2020. It involved, at the time, reacting to fine particle pollution, noted Aline Staub Spörri, director of air service.
>> Reread: Geneva introduces differentiated circulation in case of smog
In summer, it is ozone problems that arise most frequently. Gas (O3) is irritating and can be particularly exhausting for people with breathing difficulties. The threshold associated with the triggering of anti-SMOG measurements in Geneva is set at 180 micrograms per cubic meter.
ats/iar