Photo by Getty David Ramos / Stringer

By:By Avery Thompson Jan 24, 2017

http://http://www.popularmechanics.com Posted JAN 24, 2017

Cars designated Level 5 in new emissions categories are no longer allowed on Paris roads.

The city of Paris has announced it is banning most cars built before the year 2000, in an effort to curb air pollution. The law, which affects diesel vehicles built between 1997 and 2000, went into effect on Monday.

Paris has long struggled with the air pollution caused by its vehicles. Previously it had attempted to ban odd and even numbered cars from the road on alternate days based on license plate numbers, but that system was discontinued after it was proven ineffective. The new system sorts all vehicles into one of five categories, and requires drivers to display a sticker indicating their category on their vehicle.

Level Five contains all diesel vehicles manufactured between 1997 and 2000, and these cars are now banned from driving on Paris streets. Diesel vehicles older than this are also banned, but are not assigned to any category. It's estimated that around 6 percent of the cars in Paris fall into Level Five.

While this move should reduce air pollution in Paris, some have criticized the measure as unfairly penalizing drivers that are poor, who are less able to upgrade their vehicle. They have argued that the best way to fix the city's pollution problem is by reducing vehicle emissions rather than implementing bans.