Barcelona retouches the Low Emissions Zone
The Low Emissions Zone of Barcelona seeks its legalization, after the judicial setback received, applying some cosmetic touch-ups that do not prevent basic restrictions on movement. The changes announced by Barcelona City Council consist of increase exceptions to the circulation of vehicles without an environmental label of the DGT, which may mean that some 20,000 more polluting cars enter the city.
The new ordinance of the Low Emissions Zone (ZBE) tries to adjust to the objections shown by the suspension of the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) in March, although it remains in force pending appeals. As of 2023, daily authorizations will be extended to 24 during the year for vehicles without an environmental label (currently there are 10), explained the Councilor for Climate Emergency, Eloi Badia.
Payment of a daily toll
These extraordinary authorizations require the prior registration of the owner of the vehicle and the payment of a rate of five euros per day of circulation for those cars without label.
In addition to the permits to facilitate the occasional use of the vehicle, a circular through the ZBE will also be authorized for people who have five years left to retire and low-income families will be exempted. The vehicles of families that prove an annual economic income of less than twice the multiple-purpose income indicator (Iprem), which is 579 euros per month in 2022, increased according to the number of members of the family unit, will be able to circulate.
As an example, a person who lives alone will have to collect a maximum of 1,158 euros per month; when there are two people, the maximum will be the Iprem multiplied by 2.5; when there are three it will be multiplied by 2.9 and when there are four or more by 3.3. Without taking into account yet how many people will request the permit, the City Council calculates that linking the rent to the license plate could mean the introduction of some 20,000 polluting vehicles to the ZBE.
Supreme Court ruling
The changes, which will be applied when the regulation is definitively approved in January (if the initial vote passes in November and the period of allegations), aims to add social measures to accompany citizens by income level and provide the ordinance of greater legal certainty. Currently, the TSJC has refused to apply the ruling that annuls the ZBE before it becomes final, so that the ordinance remains in force until the Supreme Court (TS) resolves the appeals that the City Council, the Generalitat and the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona presented about the case.
The basic regulation of the ZBE of Barcelona will continue to be the same: it will continue to be the territory delimited by the Rondas and the hours in which circulation is restricted will not be altered –from Monday to Friday, working hours from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.– nor the Affected vehicles, which are those that do not have a DGT label as they are older.
Barcelona City Council will take advantage of the adjustment to introduce some corrections to facilitate some economic activities such as workshops and dealers. Vehicles in a replacement state may circulate if the purchase of a new one that meets the technological criteria used is proven, those that carry out maintenance tasks in workshops, vehicles of people with periodic medical treatments and unique vehicles such as driving school cars, container ships and tank vehicles, among others.
The City Council has requested new technical, supporting and impact reports from various institutions and organizations to promote the new ordinance. The council sees the update of the regulations as a positive action in terms of the economic impact for the city “since the environmental benefits it generates offset the costs to carry it out”.