In just four days, 23 Catalan municipalities should have implemented a low emission zone (ZBE), so that the most polluting cars, those who do not have an environmental label from the DGT, cannot enter the urban centers. That is, at least, what the Climate Change and Ecological Transition Law and specifies the decree approved this Tuesday in the Council of Ministers, but the truth is that on January 1, 2023, only four of these cities will have the environmental umbrella. They are Sant Cugat and the cities that since 2020 are part of the LEZ around Barcelona, which includes, in addition to the Catalan capital, L’Hospitalet and Cornellà (and also Esplugues and Sant Adrià de Besòs, but these are outside the scope of the law as they have less than 50,000 inhabitants). The other 19 on the list of 23 are at it, with very different rhythms of execution and without any of them having everything ready for Sunday. Go ahead a ‘spoiler’: one of the councils consulted did not even know of the existence of the decree.
The norm, no matter how stately it may be, must first pass through the municipal filter. Cities must adapt LEZs in their ordinances and it is in that process where they can establish moratoriums and exemptions such as those introduced by Barcelona for vans, service vehicles and public transport. The general delay is also explained by the sentence of the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia, which in March annulled the ZBE of Barcelonaa, which is still in force because the city council filed an appeal. The new state law is supposed to shield future low emission zones, but that ruling caused many town halls to freeze their own project.
elections in sight
tarragonaFor example, he plans to start making changes, but in no case will he penalize the entry and the change of car will be, for now, voluntary. The idea is that everything is deployed – cameras and sanctioning framework included – to from 2025, although next year they already foresee restrictions in the historic center. According to municipal calculations, 34% of the vehicles registered in Tarragona do not have a DGT badge, and in the midst of an energy crisis, and at the gates of some local elections, sullying the habits linked to mobility, whatever they may be, is a risk that not many mayors are willing to assume. May like a mayor fight the climate crisis. But it may bother a bit when it affects the domestic economy.
The other provincial capitals also have half their duties. Girona presented its ZBE in April, limited to Barri Vell, Devesa-Güell and the northern areas of Sant Narcís and Eixample. the mayor Martha Marenas specified in August that the control would be done with cameras and advanced that the restrictions would be “soft”. “Our air quality is good, so we can start quietly, without the need for impose brutal fines“, he explained. He also provided an argument that is repeated in many other municipalities, that of the convenience of the measure in an environment so dependent on the sectors: “15% of our GDP comes from commerce and hospitality, and there are many people who come from abroad. Depending on how we would be affecting the economy directlyand we don’t want to do it”. Implementation date? There isn’t one, for now.
Everything remains the same
In Lleida they know that they will be late. The municipal government itself admitted in September that things will not be up and running on Sunday, among other things, because there is still a lot to be developed and they are pending aid requested from Europe. “From January life will continue exactly the same“, specified the first deputy mayor and head of Urban Planning, Toni Postius. The municipal website itself reports that the project, which includes cameras in 10 points of the citywill be ready in 2024.
Sabadell It is clear that he will begin to regulate the center, but there are more doubts about the calendar. In fact, for now there is no specific date to start with the restrictions. Regarding regulation, the idea is to follow the guidelines that are set within the Association of Municipalities of the Arc Metropolità, an entity constituted in October 2021 in which cities with ZBE in sight are also integrated: Mataró, Granollers, Mollet, Rubí, Terrassa and Vilanova i la Geltrú. According to sources from this supramunicipal entityI know called for a moratorium of the decree so that there would be time until 2025. No luck. Vilanova, for example, approved in plenary session on December 19 to follow the proposal set by the association. Terrassa He did the same in the plenary session held on December 22, in which he reported on the municipal decree regarding the “establishment of the low emission zone in 2023”, without specifying.
The Generalitat has not been of great help to them either. sources of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda Department They point out that, as it is a state regulation, the Government “is not monitoring the deployment of these low emission zones.” Those that will be controlled are those agreed in the Catalan climate summit held last Marchin which the Generalitat announced that by 2025, all municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants (a total of 67) would have an LEZ.
Let’s go with more examples. killed has scheduled a series of urban actions prior to the installation of the low emission zone. These are improvements to mobility in certain areas, such as the Pla d’en Boet industrial and leisure area, the redevelopment of Camí Ralthe creation of school roads or a new roundabout on the N-2. This last performance ends in October 2023, or that is the forecast, so it seems that the capital of Maresme has a difficult time to have something concrete throughout the coming year. What is clear is that, like Sabadell, it will start with the historic center, a constant that is repeated in all the metropolises of the metropolitan area.
penalty of 200 euros
In badalona yes there is something more specific. The november plenary session approved the new ordinance to comply with the law (restrictions Monday to Friday between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.), but the LEZ is not expected to be fully operational until at least January 1, 2024, when they will begin to be imposed penalties of 200 euros, with a 30% surcharge for repeat offenders. As of July 1 of that year, vans, trucks and buses will also be fined. The control of vehicles will be carried out automatically by means of a license plate reading system, pending installation, with fixed cameras distributed throughout the neighboring areas and the entrance to the B-20.
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Castelldefels also has part of the work done. The area is already delimited (Centro neighborhood, large part of the mountain and a part of El Castell-Poble Vell) and the city council itself has reported that everything should be ready, because the public tenders to make it possible have already been put out to tender, on December 31, 2023, at the latest. Castelldefels, next to The Prat of Llobregathas requested European funds to develop LEZsanother example of how prepared things are for January 1.
Barcelona, L’Hospitalet, Sant Cugat and Cornellà. The other 19 Catalan municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants (82.6%) that should have the LEZ ready within four days continue to struggle to adapt their neighborhoods, limit the areas, establish exemptionsmark sanctions, request financingcreate public transport alternativesto install park and ride… Add to those mentioned so far the municipalities of Cerdanyola, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Reus, Sant Boi, Manresa and Viladecans. Luckily for them, state law does not impose sanctions in case of non-compliance. Unfortunately for them, the climate crisis does not seem to be abating.