Just driven back from a few days away in Yorkshire and came back along the M1 which took me through Bradford to get there. As I’m driving along I see these signs about clean air fees and that it needs to be paid for online. Now I’m kind of ofay with online stuff but I believe there’s many who aren’t. As I’m driving I’m thinking to myself had i not seen the signs what would happen and how much is it going to cost me 
So when I get home I googled it and thankfully my car doesn’t have to pay BUT what if I couldn’t have done all that. What if I don’t have internet access or anyone that could even do it for me. They don’t send any reminder, apparently you get 6 days to pay ( if you know your going to use these areas you can pay in advance) then it’s a fine for nonpayment. Next time I go to Yorkshire I will go up and come back via the A1 where there’s no chance of this happening. A fine for that would no doubt of spoilt my holiday and probably has for a few others.
Understanding low-emission zones and Crit'Air stickers in French cities.
We have that system here in France… in many cities now…
Seems annoying but the reasons are clear…''They ‘’ are trying to cut down higher than the average bad omissions, making it a safer place to breathe…
… high Pollution area’s of course are a target…
Think this is a better link as the Connection Newspapers limit what you can read for free…
How do I get a Crit’Air sticker?
French or foreign motorists can order the sticker online on the website of the Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition (the only official site authorised to issue them, beware of scams! ): https://certificat-air.gouv.fr The cost is 3.70€ plus postage (3,11€ + 1,50€). The estimated delivery time is 5 to 10 days. Please note that offending vehicles will be fined 68€ for a private car and 135€ for a coach.
More information on the official website of the Crit’Air certificate: Crit'Air (available in English, German, Italian, Spanish).
so 5-10 days delivery seems awkward…not every journey is a planned one!
Yes on looking it up it seems we have it in a few places here too but it’s not exactly clear on what we have to do to pay ( if we need to)
We also have reduced speed areas particularly in built up areas.
I agree with it but I just think there needs to be a different/ alternative way for us to pay it.
The last time I drove on rural French roads, most of the vehicles I encountered were diesel and judging by the tail-pipe emissions, poorly maintained too. . 
Not so many now Martin as laws are a lot tighter these past few years/.
Was behind one yesterday in my luxury Taxi Ambulance and it was a filthy disgusting fumie stench…hope the vehicle gets pulled over which is highly likely now.
Controlee Technique’ will never pass it through a test, so sooner or later they are Stuffed…Righly so
You are right about the older diesels. Those driven on the gentle side tend to have a build-up of soots etc and the only way to clear the exhaust is to thrash the engine😉
EDITED to add … some 30 or so yrs back, I owned a heavy diesel estate waggon and to pass the MOT I had to thrash the old girl in 3rd gear before submitting for the test, or she’d fail.
we had a bit of an issue with one of our Vehicles way back, used an additive and then take it for a good warm up around the area… then pray!
Modern diesels use AdBlue that is an anti-pollution measure. Our car uses it and is exempt from clean air zone charges. It’s a Peugeot Partner Teepee with a 1560 cc engine.
It would probably be a lot more effective to plant trees rather than manufacture and post those signs throughout the land. Consider the ecological costs of mining, manufacturing, paint, wood… Sometimes I think we spend so much time virtue signaling that we offset our supposedly helpful measures. 
I wondered what Adblue was. I have seen Adblue bowsers at truck stops in the bush with a big sign saying “This is NOT fuel”. My 3litre diesel doesn’t use it, in fact I wouldn’t know how but nor does it have a diesel particulate filter. Australia has been very slack about such things
There’s a filler pipe next to the diesel filler on our car. It leads to a 10 litre storage tank. That lasts for ages in our Peugeot but I’m told other makes get through it more quickly. If it runs out, the car won’t start. There’s a warning that would kick in if it gets low. I think our car gives 400 miles of driving to get topped up.
All new cars ( ice) are euro 6 compliant, this is the standard they need to be to avoid paying the clean air zone charge ( it might even be euro 5 ) you can check on the government website to find out if your car meets the standard, it’s usually the really older cars that are affected…