It is not required for your vehicle to have or display a vignette unless you are in a restricted zone at a time of restrictions. However, if you are in a ZCR or ZPA whilst there is a restriction on vehicles without a vignette, you probably would get stopped for not displaying a vignette ... subject to police manpower availability of course. Of course, breaking the law is no guarantee of being caught!
Not all vehicles will qualify for a vignette, however I have no qualms in driving my elderly Citroen through France although I would always endeavour to be aware of where the zones are and their restriction status!
The French have always been a little slow to comply with new laws, but even with this in mind, if they live in an area which is not affected, and have no need to travel out of their area, why would they buy something they don't need?
------------- Mart
(°\=/°)
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Our raison d'etre with this (as with a number of other rules) is that we don't have sufficient French to stand at the roadside and argue the toss! Hence we tend to comply.
------------- Freedom is a light caravan and an open road.
Someone on another forum saw police checking vignettes at an aire, or so they said. And the consensus seems to be that there's ANPR involved.
This year we noticed that there was a fairly high level of compliance in Green Zones and on motorways but not so much deep in the Ardèche, where you could spend your life not going anywhere near a Green Zone.
And Btw, Birmingham may be bringing in the UKs first Green Zone (why are we so far behind?) and it's likely to cost £6 - £10 a day for private cars less than Euro 4.
Makes Crit'air seem quite reasonable, doesn't it?