The Chamber of Trades analyzes the impact of the ZFE on artisans
Since September 1, a new step in the implementation of the Low Emissions Zone (ZFE) has been taken in Toulouse. From now on, utilities, vans and trucks displaying a Crit’Air sticker greater than or equal to 4 can no longer circulate in Toulouse. A measure that directly affects craftsmen who perform in intervention or on site in the Pink City. For the Haute-Garonne Chamber of Trades and Crafts, this will have a strong impact on the activity of certain trades. Its president, Lucien Amoros, discusses in detail the impact of the Toulouse ZFE on craftsmen.
Lucien Amoros, the Low Emission Zone (ZFE) is now operational. What is the proportion of artisans affected by this measure?
The Ministry of Ecological Transition has published data which demonstrates that, to date, 16% of the vans in the Toulouse car fleet, mostly owned by craftsmen, can no longer drive in their own city. If we extend the observation of these statistics to neighboring intermunicipalities, in which many craftsmen regularly work in the Pink City, the figure rises to 31%. And in January 2024, when no more vehicles with a Crit’Air sticker with a value greater than or equal to 3 will be able to enter Toulouse, 53% of utilities will be concerned. Fortunately, the majority of utilities owned by craftsmen are generally classified Crit’Air 2 because they are essentially diesel (95% of the fleet), registered after January 1, 2011. This is explained by the possibility, until in 2022, to recover the Value Added Tax (VAT) on this type of vehicle. As for Crit’air 1 or electric utilities, they are very rare (less than 5%).
How do you feel about this measure?
the health and economic crisis caused by Covid-19, companies are very affected. Especially since periods of instability follow one another (war in Ukraine, increase in raw materials and energy, etc.). And even if we cannot be against a decision that aims to ensure that we can breathe better, it weighs heavily on artisans because it adds to already significant difficulties. Many will take it badly! Especially when the variations are going to be put in place and the fines are going to start falling. In other words, if the measure is beneficial, the modalities of its implementation and its timetable are perhaps too complicated for the artisans.
Different trades affected differently
Do you have feedback from craftsmen concerning the ZFE set up in Toulouse? How do they welcome the measure?
For the moment, even if the ZFE is operational, the controls have not been put in place. The craftsmen therefore do not yet suffer the consequences, it is not yet concrete for them. It is therefore not one of their concerns for the moment, they who already have a lot to manage. But, in a year or two, when they have won their first fines, I’m afraid it will be very complicated! Especially since, from what I understand, the checks will be carried out via an automatic system. Thus, the craftsmen who will come to Toulouse every day will refrain from several fines at the end of the week. I find that quite brutal! I hope that the public authorities will be conciliatory at first…
Others, and I’m thinking in particular of those who work in the building industry and who will work on sites outside the ZFE zone, will have to come and pick up equipment inside the perimeter and will be surprised, that’s for sure… Especially since the signage is still not very clear!
Of the more than 250 activities in which our artisans will evolve, each will be impacted differently, if at all. Some, like plumbers for example, do not keep their vehicles very long, which leads them to have Crit’Air 2 or 1. They will therefore have no questions to ask. On the other hand, all service professions such as home hairdressers, seamstresses, etc. will quickly and strongly suffer from these new rules. As well as professions, type mason, who use very specialized vehicles such as dumpsters, trays or spinning tops, and who do not change them frequently.
“In a year or two, when they have won their first fines, I’m afraid it will be very complicated! »
These precisely deviant ? Are these sufficient to allow craftsmen to work?
Craftsmen with very specialized vehicles, or workshop vehicles can indeed benefit from an exemption, but only for three years. The problem is only reported. Other than those, no utility, van, or truck got an exception to the rule. Among other things, we would like to appreciate an additional tolerance for “small riders”, as is the case in Montpellier. The owner of a vehicle traveling less than 8,000 kilometers per year is considered to be a light driver.
We spoke with the Town Hall to try to obtain greater exemptions, but they were intransigent. However, we are continuing the dialogue on certain problematic points such as this so-called “little wheel” or even the arrangement of hours during which more vehicles could be exempted, or even during which the rules of the ZFE would not apply. Similarly, the derogation granted to companies in default seems totally useless to us, as these are destined to disappear in the months that follow. Instead, we favor a temporary exemption based on the figures of companies whose balance sheet shows that they cannot afford to invest in a new vehicle. That would give them time to provision for that purpose. If the Town Hall does not want to hear the different but logical situations, the companies will leave the territory, or go out of business. We are going to make new joint proposals with consular organizations and professional organizations, so that this ZFE does not kill the economy.
The artisanal activity forced to move
Is the ecological dimension of the ZFE understood by artisans?
I admit that they have trouble grasping it. They don’t understand how a 15-year-old vehicle would be more harmful than a recent Porsche Cayenne. Whether they come out of the exhaust of the first or the second, a kilo of CO² is a kilo of CO². The craftsmen thus have the impression that pure ecology is not the but of this measure but that it is a question of getting economic activities out of the cities so that they become havens of peace for the bourgeois. The public authorities have not only retained the problem of local pollution, which is real, without apprehending it in a global way. They imposed a constraint, without really providing any solutions: the financial aid is not sufficient, we do not see any major revolution concerning the development of cycle paths or public transport… Thus, the craftsmen do not understand why they An umpteenth effort is required when the whole of society does not seem to be moving towards a real ecological transition.
What impact will the Toulouse ZFE have on the activity of craftsmen?
The most affected will undoubtedly be the mechanics or automobile bodywork craftsmen installed in the ZFE zone. These mainly work with customers who use Crit’Air 3, 4 or 5 cars. Their business will collapse and they won’t even be able to sell their business. Then, as we have seen, the building craftsmen located outside of metropolitan Toulouse who could no longer access the city, nor obtain supplies of materials. Eventually, I also think that businesses of all kinds will desert Toulouse to settle outside the ZFE zone. Finally, small craftsmen who work at home will also suffer because they often work with old vehicles.
“Artisans do not understand why they are asked for yet another effort when the whole of society does not seem to be moving towards a real ecological transition”
What is the main difficulty posed by the Toulouse ZFE for craftsmen?
It is of course financial, but also administrative. The two are ultimately linked. There are aids for professionals to enable them to change their vehicles, but they are not sufficient, not enough incentives to switch to electric. Indeed, even with a boost, the remaining charge is still higher than a thermal vehicle. According to our simulations, for the purchase of a large new electric van costing 55,000 euros, a craftsman will be able to claim the State conversion bonus of 2,500 €, the ecological bonus of 2,000 €, the Toulouse Métropole bonus of €6,000 and the Occitanie Region ecocheque of €3,000. That is a total of €13,500. €41,500 remains to be disbursed. Knowing that a thermal vehicle costs €33,000, the calculations are quick. A craftsman will prefer to opt for a Crit’Air 2 thermal vehicle, on which he will not receive any aid.
The procedures for obtaining aid are not the easiest either. Indeed, if the craftsman wants to be able to benefit from four existing ones, he will have to compile four different files, with different conditions, in different counters. The Chamber of Trades and Crafts, moreover, proposes to become the place of a one-stop shop, which greatly simplifies things for craftsmen.
Towards the ecological transition…
Unlike those who will suffer, will some craftsmen take advantage of this ZFE in Toulouse?
Indeed, some have taken the pole and gone electric, but their part is so small that it is invisible. We also observe craftsmen, who evolve in the tertiary sector, moving to cyclomobility. This last phenomenon is not negligible, especially since the offer of utility bikes and electric cargo bikes is now interesting. This trend is even becoming a marketing argument.
And the trades evolving in the sphere of the bicycle will develop strongly. The activity of the industry and repairers of two wheels, for example, is exploding.
“For a one-stop shop for all procedures related to the ZFE, and mobility more generally”
What exactly is the role of the Chamber of Trades and Crafts in this transition? What accompaniments could you?
Last March, we did a study with our nationals throughout Haute-Garonne, and we noticed that half were not aware of the new rules induced by the implementation of the system, or even ignore the existence of a ZFE in Toulouse. The lack of communication and information on this subject is glaring. We will therefore hammer the message to our craftsmen. It’s up to us to explain, for example, that even if it’s expensive to buy, an electric utility vehicle will quickly pay for itself. Through public meetings, newsletters, etc., we will remind them of the basic rules of this zone, explain to them the aspects of this mobility revolution. We will also continue to become the one-stop shop for all procedures concerning the ZFE, and mobility more general. A kind of mobility advice for companies that could help craftsmen to carry out an audit of their structure, to choose the best mode of travel, to find out about all the aid to which they are entitled… A long-term job!