The Climate Change and Energy Transition Law promoted by the Government of Pedro Sánchez obliges municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants and those with more than 20,000 inhabitants with specific pollution problems to establish a Low Emissions Zone (ZBE). The measure came into force on January 1, 2023, although it was not until the beginning of this year that its implementation and the consequences for those who do not comply with the restrictions that they entail have intensified.
ZBEs are specially designed to reduce air pollution levels and promote sustainable mobility in urban environments. Its creation is framed in the guidelines of the European Union with the aim of achieving climate neutrality by the year 2050, with which progressive measures are being implemented that seek to transform the transport paradigm in cities.
The implementation of ZBEs in the 149 municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants in Spain has been very uneven. Large urban centers, such as Madrid and Barcelona, anticipated years ago the obligation to limit the access of polluting vehicles to their metropolitan areas, implementing proactive measures to address environmental problems and improve air quality.
Other cities, faced with logistical complexity and limited resources, have experienced a more gradual process in adopting these restricted zones. This disparity in the implementation of the ZBE is also reflected in the different regulations and criteria that govern these areas throughout the country.
The Madrid City Council, for example, is one of the most restrictive when it comes to regulating ZBEs, since it even prohibits the circulation of vehicles with labels C and B in the Central District. Access with these labels is only allowed to company and self-employed vehicles and also to neighbors.
In general, there are four types of vehicles that escape the restrictions that apply in low-emission zones in all Spanish cities and are exempt from the regulations without fear of being fined. They are the following:
