Prohibitions for vehicles without an environmental label. This is the main novelty that kicks off 2023. Throughout the year, all cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants (and cities with more than 20,000 with special pollution problems) will have a Low Emission Zone (ZBE) by law.
This means that in the nearly 150 cities affected by these new restrictions, more than 4 million cars will be affected, so the demand for electrified cars will increase significantly in the coming year. This is good news for manufacturers, as almost all of them have models with an Eco label.
The new limits affect cities that total
accumulate a park of 11 million cars. Specifically, all those registered before the year 2000 if they have a petrol engine; or before 2006 in the case of diesel models. Who, for example, are already forbidden to drive in the M-30 in Madrid.
Knowing that from 2023 they will no longer be able to use this road and will be driven from every lane in the capital in 2024. By 2025, unlabelled vehicles registered in the city they pass through will be added to these restrictions, which are now on a truce; in addition to motorcycles, trucks and vans that had been exempt until then.
This is the case of Madrid and also that of Barcelona. However, other measures may be taken in other cities. An entry toll could also be established where payment is made based on what each vehicle pollutes.
In the signs to indicate the ZBE, Traffic illustrates them with the signature Zero, Eco and C. Because the B label has been omitted from the sign, some users have doubted whether their vehicles have allowed access. In Madrid, access is still allowed in the most restricted area, but they must park in an underground car park.
Cars with a B label are petrol cars registered between 2001 and 2006 and diesel cars from 2006 to 2015.
The Climate Change Act, which sets the criteria for applying ZBEs, states that “access and circulation criteria should be pursued
Discourage private vehicle access as much as possible motorized in general, regardless of the environmental label it bears”, which is why some cities, such as those on the outskirts of Madrid, have chosen to make their centers car-free.
The regulation is not clear and each municipality has some freedom to decide what to do with the low-emission zone in the center. Associations such as
Companies for Sustainable Mobility They have already published a compendium of tools for cities that have not yet implemented their LEZs, following the example of other cities that have already implemented their measures.
Source: La Verdad
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.
