While the Catalan capital, which on Thursday released one of the Areas of Low Emissions (ZBE) largest in Europe, moves against the air pollution with the support of its institutions —city Hall, the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) and Catalan— Madrid directs the negationism: the regional president, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, denied the day 1 that the pollution generated death, a statement that has not been corrected despite the fact that on these two days, scientists and institutions we have shown that I was wrong. Meanwhile, the mayor of the capital, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, who promised to eliminate Madrid Central and was unable to do so by the varapalos court, has approved a moratorium for some vehicles more contaminants may continue to access the capital, and in addition, it has reopened two streets before restricted and has criticized the plan of Barcelona as a “trompe l’œil”. The mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, responded defiantly on Twitter: “To see who reduces more pollution.”
The entry into force of the ZBE of Barcelona, which prohibits circular for the capital city and four municipalities adjacent to the vehicles more pollutants —those that do not have label of the DGT—, ended this Thursday with a reduction of traffic in the accesses of 7.5% compared to the 2 of January of last year. The day of the premiere, seven to ten in the morning, went into the city to 6,000 fewer vehicles and they came out 4.900 less, according to the Catalan Traffic Service. The Government of the mayor, Ada Colau, spoke of a reduction of 15% of the traffic on the roads and 11% within the city, but compared to the date of this Thursday, the 23rd of December, on the eve to christmas Eve, when the city is full of dealers and buyers from other localities.
The councillor of Weather Emergency, Eloi Badia, called for “caution” to the data, to be on the 2nd of January a working day in the middle of the school holidays, although pulled chest of the ZBE. “It is a pioneer in the State —its area covers 95 square miles and located Barcelona as a city brave and the forerunner in environmental policy and health”. Badia also recalled that when appreciate the effects of the ZBE will be starting the 8th of January, when the city recover normal activity, and, above all, on the 1st of April, when it will begin fining offenders. This first year allows you to move about without tag, vans, trucks and coaches.
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The day of release of the restriction in Barcelona was uneventful. The control plates, to check if the cars have a label for environmental, is made with 36 cameras in strategic points of the city. And there were neither reporters nor police stopping violators. The veto to the car pollutant affects about 115,000 vehicles (over 85,000 passenger cars and 30,000 motorcycles), according to the AMB, which brings together the capital and the 35 municipalities of their environment. The calculation is based on the vehicle fleet that circulates in the area.
Each time that you put in place a measure of these characteristics there are voices that cry out against the changes. Already happened a year ago with the Madrid Central, when opposition and traders cautioned that the city would collapse with the restrictions. Not occurred, your entrda in force was a success civic. In Barcelona, the ZBE receives criticism from environmentalists and neighbors, who are committed to toughen the restrictions; and on the part of employers, who ask for flexibilizarlas. This Thursday, while the Platform for the Quality of the Air demanded a toll deterrent of entry to the city, the General Association of Self-employed Carriers of Catalonia denounced that the ZBE is “unaffordable” for the sector, despite having a year of moratorium, and warned that “thousands of freelancers and smes will be condemned to leave the profession.” Meanwhile, the Guild of the Engine said that in the last three months, sales of cars in the area of the ZBE have grown 20%.
The Administrations driving remember that this type of action is taken because the pollution generates some 10,000 premature deaths in Spain, according to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO). Levels of contaminants higher are in Madrid and Barcelona, that’s why the European Commission has threatened Spain with a fine millionaire if no measures are taken in both cities. Madrid did the 30 November 2018 (the first three months, without penalty) and Barcelona does now. The fines for hack to the Catalan capital will apply from the month of April. The Madrid Central —that kicked off the last 16 of march— now exceed the 375.000 (data to September), according to the city Hall of the capital.
The mayor of Madrid qualified this Thursday of “trompe l’œil” the project of the Catalan capital, because it is “less restrictive than the Madrid Central”. “[The ZBE de Barcelona] is much less restrictive than the Madrid Central. We are in an area of restriction is very wide (on the perimeter), which prohibits the entry of cars without a tag, but not all the days, apart from that then they have 10 days permit days,” he said. Despite to get chest for the star Manuela Carmena, the alderman has not slackened in its efforts to descafeinarla.
Two streets up to now included in the restrictions (small but concentrated many penalties) reopened to traffic on January 1, which is clipped to the perimeter, while it will apply a one-year moratorium for vehicles more polluting of several groups can continue to access the centre. More serious are the messages that the members of the Consistory launched periodically against the Madrid Central —“not working”, repeat—, that have driven traffic and the fines to increase in the center in the last few months. In September, Almeida announced that it would change the name of the area of low emissions by the bombastic Madrid 360, a change that would let the vehicles with label C in the area, that is to say, to relax the restrictions. However, it still has not been able to pass that initiative, which requires to modify the Ordinance.
Meanwhile, Diaz Ayuso continued to this Thursday without rectifying your statements of day 1 that “no one has died” by the pollution in spite of the numerous proofs that it is wrong. To his secretary of Transport, Angel Garrido, acknowledged that “it is evident that there is a direct correlation between mortality and pollution,” something that “of course the president also knows.” Attributed the phrase to a day, “unfortunate”.
In Barcelona, the premiere showed the alternative for those that have opted-in drivers affected by the veto to the pollution. Families that had several cars and give you one low. Otrso what will change for tourism is also old but not so much or those who have opted for a new one. Motorists who have purchased a bike fresh out of the factory. And some that still don’t know how to bypass the ban when you get the fines.
The citizenship applauds act against pollution, but the criticisms come because of how it has materialized the ZBE: to whom more detrimental it is to those who do not can be changed the vehicle. Among the defenders of the ZBE are some of the almost 6,000 citizens who have accepted the offer of desvalijar your old car in exchange of a card for unlimited travel and for six zones. It’s called T-Green and has a duration of three years, provided that the owner does not buy another car.
What cars can’t park in both cities
With the new restrictions in Madrid, the cars of non-residents in Madrid Central without label of the DGT —the oldest— can’t pass or park in this area, nor with the invitation of a resident (as until now).
in Addition, these vehicles may not park in any point of Service of Regulated Parking, the area that includes the entire interior of the M-30, and operates Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 21.00 and on Saturdays until 15.00.
In Barcelona, the ZBE affects the Catalan capital of barcelona, L’hospitalet de Llobregat, Sant Adrià de Besòs and areas of Esplugues and Cornellà de Llobregat. The criterion is not the parking but the movement of cars without a tag on weekdays from 7.00 to 20.00. An old car can be parked and walk alone at night or on the weekend.
