Car traffic on one of the streets in Valencia. Kai FORSTERLING (EFE)
The Valencia City Council, governed by the PP in the minority, has only two and a half months to implement the so-called low emission zone (ZBE), a measure that the Climate Change Law 2021 and the European authorities broadly mandate to reduce pollution Cities. The measure, which imposes restrictions on transport that causes the most pollution in order to improve air quality, should be implemented before 2024. The previous government of Compromís and PSPV tendered and awarded the installation of cameras, cabling, sensors, etc. and the ZBE’s citizen participation plan was advanced, but there was a lack of an ordinance or regulation delimiting the zones and days pass without the government of María José Catalá clarifying the criteria.
In Spain there are 151 cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants that are obliged to regulate a ZBE, but as of mid-September only 14 have one of these areas, although the Ministry of Ecological Transition warns that 120 are already working on their projects, including Valencia, the third largest Spanish capital in terms of population. Some capitals have revealed that they will not arrive in time. Málaga has requested a one-year moratorium on implementation and Badalona has already stated that it will not be ready for three years.
The Ministry of Transport responded with a letter to city councilors of all political stripes who have received European funding to finance sustainable mobility initiatives – this is the case in Valencia – warning that they would demand the return of next generation assistance. if they do not implement their traffic-calmed areas or change other funded projects (e.g. cycle paths) without permission.
According to a spokesperson, the local PP government has not decided anything at this stage and is continuing to investigate possible areas based on reports. In his public appearances, Valencia’s new city councilor for mobility, Jesús Carbonell, blamed the previous executive for the ZBE’s delay. “He left us many pages with a lot of ambiguity and no concreteness,” said the PP city councilor at the community plenary meeting in September. In addition, Vox, in the words of the mayor the “preferred partner” of the PP, is against the restriction, so the regulation would have to be negotiated by the PP with socialists and compromise advocates.
“They look for excuses but never had the will,” says Giuseppe Grezzi, Compromís city councilor and head of sustainable mobility in the previous local government. “The low emission zone has existed for 20 years in London, but also in Stockholm and Milan. The PP of Valencia was already in opposition to this and is now looking for excuses. If we were governing, it would already be underway,” says Grezzi.
Soft landing
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The government led by Joan Ribó in the previous mandate has tendered and awarded at the end of 2022 the installation of 274 cameras, 52 sensors and 44 information panels necessary for the management and control of the ZBE, for an amount of 10.8 million euros from European funds . The citizen participation process for implementing the ZBE was also left well advanced and five possible areas for applying for aid were set up in the capital, although the areas can be varied or applied in phases. “The idea was to plan these phases, establish exceptions and carry out a soft landing. The work was done, they just had to finish it, but there was not much desire,” says the mayor of Compromís.
Unlike in Madrid or Barcelona, where the ZBEs are in use, in Valencia “nothing is being implemented,” agrees the socialist city councilor María Pérez with Grezzi. The city council made a written request to the local government of Catalá a few weeks ago asking about the geographical scope of the area, what type of vehicles would be affected or whether the implementation would take place in phases. “The answer was, ‘We’re working on preparation.’ “In any case, it will be a considered and measured measure,” explains the mayor. “I have the impression that they will regulate a minimum ZBE to cover the file; The PP assures that it will respect the deadlines, but we are in the discount period because the regulation must be prepared, presented to the public, approved and, if Vox does not support it, negotiated with the rest of the municipal groups for support,” said the PP city council suspects.
The socialists are in favor of a ZBE that, on the one hand, helps to reduce pollutant emissions in the city, but also takes into account the economic performance of citizens and modulates it in such a way that traders and neighbors get used to it and it is not a traumatic measure. “There is a goal to reduce emissions, but it is also true that there is a reality of the vehicle fleet that affects some social classes more than others. We don’t want anyone to be left behind, we are committed to a fair ecological transition,” adds Pérez.
The only area that looks remotely like a low-emission zone is the APR (Ciutat Vella Residential Priority Area), created in 2021 to limit traffic through the historic center. “Perhaps they are thinking about converting it into an environmental zone,” suspects the local council.
Valencia has not yet commented on a moratorium.
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