The Government establishes the minimum requirements that municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants will have to meet
The central government has approved in council of Ministers the royal decree that regulates Low Emission Zones (ZBE) that include measures to restrict vehicle access, promote collective transport and electric vehicle charging points. And it has done so four days before these areas are made mandatory in municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, island territories and those with more than 20,000 inhabitants that exceed the limit values of regulated pollutants.
The establishment of these low emission zones, as LA VERDAD has been reporting, was established in the Climate Change and Energy Transition Law, which has meant that in the main municipalities with polluted air they began to adopt months ago, among other measures, sustainable urban mobility plans to reduce polluting gas emissions. This is the case of Murcia and Cartagena, among other cities, although the ZBE zones are in these cities in an early phase of definition. The truth is that very few Spanish municipalities are going to comply with this obligation imposed by the Climate Change Law.
The vast majority of mayors have expressed that it has been precisely the non-approval of this royal decree that has prevented these areas from being approved on time. The Ministry has refused this extension, although aware of the widespread non-compliance that will occur, because it maintains that since last November 19 the guidelines have been available in a joint guide prepared by the Ministry and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces.
Finally, the Ministry directed by Teresa Ribera has chosen to prepare and approve the royal decree to provide legal certainty to this measure, since in several cities, such as Barcelona, there had been court rulings contrary to the implementation of these low emission zones. .
The royal decree establishes the homogeneous minimum requirements that the affected municipalities will have to comply with. The LEZs may establish continuous or temporary measures such as restrictions on access, circulation and parking of vehicles to improve air quality and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, according to the classification of vehicles by their level of emissions according to with the provisions of the current General Vehicle Regulations.
The approved standard establishes as its ultimate goal the objective of complying with the updated version of the World Health Organization guidelines on air quality, published in 2021, and which include the recommended air quality levels for the protection of public health. With respect to the climate change mitigation objectives, the approved royal decree indicates that the municipalities will have to define quantifiable emission reduction objectives for 2030 and that they be consistent with the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan for the reduction of vehicle use. Private motor compared to other modes of transport.
In the event that the pollution limits are met, the regulation allows exceptional access for polluting vehicles for justified reasons, such as those that provide basic public services, among others, emergency services or garbage collection. The rule also provides for the need for permanent coordination and cooperation between administrations, especially in island territories, metropolitan areas and in response to the urban distribution of goods.
Likewise, it includes the need to facilitate participation measures of the different social agents and to signalize the low emission zones. In addition, municipalities must facilitate the installation of recharging points or the supply of clean fuels such as hydrogen and can introduce complementary measures within the building sector, measures for the replacement of heating systems, efficient energy rehabilitation and promotion of air conditioning systems. no emissions.
In the same way, interventions in urban areas of an adaptive nature may be incorporated, such as those aimed at mitigating the heat island effect or increasing urban green areas with adapted species. Lastly, the royal decree includes a penalty regime that incorporates a transitional period of four years for the adaptation to the new norm of LEZ projects established prior to its entry into force.
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