The low-emission zones determine the traffic of the most polluting vehicles in the major cities
During 2023, all Spanish cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants (and those with more than 20,000 with special pollution problems) must have their respective
Low Emission Zones (ZBE). This means that in the nearly 150 cities affected by these new restrictions, more than 4 million cars will be affected, which, as they do not have the DGR environmental stickers, will be immediately banned and removed from circulation.
The new limits affect cities that have a total fleet of 11 million cars. Each of the cities must make its own rules,
It is therefore not possible to speak of a general arrangement. nor of what type of vehicles and in what circumstances they will be affected.
If we try to specify the situation a bit, the vehicles that will have more difficulty accessing the center of the cities are mainly vehicles registered before the year 2000 if they have a petrol engine; or before 2006 in the case of diesel models. All of them are already forbidden, for example, from driving the M-30 in Madrid and entering the center of Barcelona, in both cases under different circumstances and with some exceptions.
In the
Climate change lawwhich lays down the criteria for the application of ZBEs states that “the criteria for access and movement should aim to discourage as much as possible the entry of private motor vehicles in general, irrespective of the eco-label it bears”, for which reason some cities They have already chosen to make their centers car-free.
This means that
32% of the mobile fleet of these cities becomes ‘immobile’ because they are over two decades old or do not meet the DGT requirements to carry the environmental sticker, depriving their owners of what they can do with them as they have set an expiration date for circulation.
If we take as a reference the regulations applied in Madrid, the most affected vehicles are those labeled A. In reality, these are precisely the vehicles that do not carry a label because they are cars and
vans or trucks registered before the year 2001. They will not be able to circulate in the areas demarcated by the municipalities, although there are exceptions, such as for residents.
Those labeled B (yellow) correspond to passenger cars and light vans powered by petrol and registered from January 2000, or diesel from January 2006. Cars with this badge can enter the ZBE, but cannot park in it. They will be able to circulate and park along the perimeter streets of each province, with the exception of Madrid, where it is not possible to park in the central almond. With few exceptions, cars with the distinctive C (green color), ECO (blue and green) and Cero (blue color) are exempt from the bans.
This novelty brings
the appearance of a new traffic signwhich has been added to the new DGT catalog which consists of at least nine new callsigns.
Expand its field of action by extending it to the entire road network of our country, strengthening the safety of the most vulnerable users of the different types of roads, integrating new forms of mobility and improving the visibility and understanding of the messages conveyed by the signals , are among the objectives of this initiative, which this update addresses for the first time in 18 years.
The objectives are: to create new signals for the most vulnerable, to abolish gender stereotypes, to integrate the new mobility by changing the design of the signals with more modern locomotives and
new warnings for electric scooters. Or even adapt to episodes like the ones we’ve been experiencing lately with the presence of wild boars on the roads. And the most important goal: to adapt to the new times in order to continue to guarantee road safety.
The DGT thus adapts to the new ways of moving with the incorporation of
a particular signal for scooters, so fashionable now in the street scene. Drivers need to take notes to learn the new signs and when they see them they know how to identify them correctly.
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.
