Steps Being Taken to Improve Chamonix's Air Quality

The document makes a point to say that the situation won’t change overnight. It will take time, but that everyone can take action, especially regarding transportation and energetic renovation of housing. Regarding the traffic of heavy goods vehicles, the State needs to get involved and to take clear and strict measures.

Some facts about air pollution in the valley - The 2 most concerning pollutants in the valley are:

• Small particles suspended in air (smaller than about 10 micrometers): PM10
• Nitrogen oxides: NOx

Nearly ¾ of PM10 come from heating (mostly wood fires), more than ¾ of nitrogen oxides are linked to transportation.

In Les Bossons in particular, close to the entrance of the Mont Blanc tunnel, NO2 levels have been over the limit as far back as 2001/2002, and rising, but levels of PM10 have been decreasing in the same time period (although they are still above European thresholds). Surely this confirms the need for the French government to try to help reduce the number and type of HGV's in the valley?

What's being done locally to resolve some of these issues?

Transportation:

• Renewal of railway equipment: €40M - Completed
• Modernisation of the Montets tunnel: €80M - Completed
• Modernisation of the rest of the line: €26M - Decided
• Renovation of the 3 main train stations of the Chamonix Valley (Argentière, Montroc and Vallorcine) : €1.7M - Completed
• Increase to 2 trains per hour between Vallorcine and Les Houches - Objective 2016
• Renovation of the line between Saint-Gervais and La Roche sur Foron: €3M - Decided

Buses:

• Selection of a new operator for the management of the bus network - In progress
• Electric vehicles for the “Mulet” - Objective 2016
• Replacement of pollutive buses - In progress
• Better service in the evenings - In progress

Other:

• Creation of a cycle track running through the Valley - Decided
• Renewal of the city's fleet of vehicles (hybrid or electric) - Decided
• Preferential rates for electric vehicles in the car parks (50% discount) - In progress
• Several stations to recharge electric vehicles - In progress
• More pedestrian streets - In progress
• Preferential rates on ski passes for people who came by car-pooling - In progress
• Free parking at Grepon during pollution peaks - Decided
• Forbidden access to the valley for the most polluting vehicles - Project

Housing & energy:

The town of Chamonix offers grants in order to foster the energetic transition in the Valley. 2 funds are available:

​1) Fond Energie Habitat (FEH : “Fonds Energie Habitat”) - Starting from the 1st of July, people who renovate their house (main residence) to make it more energy efficient can get a grant from the city of Chamonix: 20% of the cost of the works with a maximum of €1,500. They can also benefit from the CITE (Crédit d’impôt transition énergétique), a tax reduction offer by the State: 30% of the cost for a maximum of €16,000.

Example: You decide to change your windows. Cost: €7,500.

FEH = 7500 x 20% = 1500
Cost after FEH = 7500 – 1500 = 6000
CITE = 6000 x 30% = 1800
Final cost = 6000 – 1800 = 4200

Final cost: €4,200.

2) Fond Air Bois - The Air Wood Fund offers a financial grant of €1,000 for each individual who wants to replace an old heating system with (chimney, wood stove, etc.) with a new, efficient, and non-polluting heating system.

Renovation of public buildings:

Chamonix has also invested a lot in the renovation of public buildings with more eco-friendly features:

• The central Chamonix Library (€1m), Servoz School & the Mairie in Les Houches - Completed
• Sports centres - In progress
• Crèche Jean Franco - In progress
• Development of housing to reduce commuting - In progress
• Projects of renewable energies: hydroelectric projects (e.g. Torrent de Taconnaz) - In progress

Although a lot of progress has been made and a lot of plans are in place for the future, a lot of these points and plans raise more questions. Will renovating and improving public buildings really have that much of an impact on the overall air quality of the valley? Couldn't the state offer more in terms of grant funding to really encourage people to make a change? How is car-pooling going to benefit year round or season pass holders, and will it really have that much impact on air pollution?

Better trains, stations and bus services are one thing, but one of the biggest issues still remains the heavy good vehicles passing through the Mont Blanc tunnel. and it looks like we'll be waiting for the big guns to step in before we see any marked changes. We won't be holding our breath..