As they explained, they will initially limit access to the yet-to-be-determined area to unlabeled vehicles, and the maximum restriction will apply to category B vehicles.
Although it was initially expected to be implemented before the end of this year, the Low Emission Zone (ZBE) of Donostia-San Sebastián will be postponed until the end of 2024, as explained on Thursday by the Councilor for Mobility, Olatz Yarzain the plenary session of the municipal council.
The San Sebastian government team, formed by PNV and PSE-EE, requested the government of Spain last October for a postponement to give shape to the project. We are working conscientiously to bring this to a successful conclusion complicated transversal project“.
In this sense, the Socialist Councilor for Ecology Marisol Garmendia He has sent a message of “calm” to citizens and assured that traffic into the city center will not be affected at any time. “In the first phase, the vehicles that will be affected will be those that do not have a label, that is to say 10% of the fleet entering the center of San Sebastián, and the maximum restriction will reach B vehicles.”
Garmendia has assured that they will create a “sustainable and reasonable” ZBE, and recalled that San Sebastián is not the only city that has requested its expansion. “The application of the ZBE will be gradual and “as least harmful as possible for those who have less purchasing power and cannot change vehicles,” he added.
Likewise, despite criticism from opposition groups over the discrepancies over the management of the case between Yarza and Garmendia, the Socialist has admitted that they have not managed this process well: “I have no problem admitting that.”
Both the Socialist councilor and Jeltzale explained that “they are working” on the implementation of the regulation governing the ZBE, at the request of a control motion submitted by EH Bilduthat has been rejected by the votes of the government team.
The initiative, which was defended by Garbine Alkiza, requested that the measures for the implementation of the ZBE be completed by December 31. Alkiza denounced that the reasons given by the government team for not having the ZBE ready by the end of this year “are nothing more than excuses” because its creation, he recalled, “was already in its government program 2019-2023 sat”.
In the same line, Elkarrekin councilor Donostia, Victor Lasa, has expressed his “surprise” at the lack of specificity on the part of those responsible. “Are you concerned that the changes will be inconvenient for citizens?” he asked. And he recalled that other “much larger” cities have already implemented ZBE, such as Amsterdam in 1978 and London 25 years ago.
For its part, the popular Borja Corominas He has complained that it is “unheard of” that there is no consensus within the municipal government, which is why he has denounced that it operates “with two factions”.
In response to the opposition, Jeltzale Yarza said that the initial deadlines “cannot be met”, partly because the processing of a traffic ordinance takes a year. “There will have to be a political debate, with citizen participation,” he said, also asking that all political groups participate in that debate.
Source: EITB
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
