ARCHIVED - Low emission zones: where traffic will be limited in the Region of Murcia from 2023

Almost 150 towns and cities in Spain will have to implement low emission zones to reduce pollution

Spain's Low Emission Zones plan comes into force in 2023 following the passing of a new Climate Change Law which will see 149 cities forced to prohibit access and the circulation of the most polluting vehicles.

Low Emission Zones have already been implemented in Madrid, Barcelona and Gijón, limiting traffic in certain areas that exceed a certain number of inhabitants, and the Region of Murcia will follow suit from next year to improve air quality and achieve a healthier environment.

The low-emission zones (LEZs) will become delimited areas where access, circulation and parking of the most polluting vehicles are restricted due to their polluting potential following a labeling system determined by the DGT.

Environmental stickers, which must be displayed in the windscreen, will make it clear which vehicles are considered more environmentally friendly and those that are not.

Residents and those who have the environmental badges 0, ECO, green and yellow, will still be able to access these zones, and the DGT is considering allowing other vehicles, depending on their polluting potential, to transit for a fee.

So, which municipalities in the Murcia Region will have to implement LEZs?

According to the Climate Change Law, LEZs must be put in place in municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants by 2023, and there are four in the Region; Murcia, Cartagena, Lorca and Molina de Segura.

The Murcian neighborhoods of El Carmen and El Infante are already earmarked, and in Cartagena, streets in Ensanche will be pedestrianised with bicycle lanes and obviously fewer cars.

Although the zones must be implemented before the end of the year, they require prior planning and must be approved through a municipal ordinance. In addition, the LEZ plan must be accompanied by "other complementary measures to encourage the transfer to mobility towards sustainable models and provide a sustainable alternative for all those trips that are affected by the restrictions".

Control of access to low-emission zones will be carried out through appropriate signage and a monitoring system with license plate reader cameras.

"Motorists who violate the regulations will be fined", warned the DGT, sanctions which will be determined by each individual local authority.

For example, in Barcelona, drivers who enter the centre without an environmental sticker will be fined 100 euros, whilst flouters in Madrid face fines of 200 euros.

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