Judge reinstates Madrid's low emissions zone

Source: The Guardian

Judge reinstates Madrid's low emissions zone

New rightwing council fails to reverse policy of former mayor Manuela Carmena

Stephen Burgen in Barcelona
Mon 8 Jul 2019 12.53 BST Last modified on Mon 8 Jul 2019 15.07 BST

Barely a week after Madrid’s rightwing council began rolling back the city’s low emissions zone, a judge has ruled that the traffic restrictions must be maintained.

As of Monday, drivers of non-exempt vehicles will once again be fined €90 if they enter the 1.8 sq mile zone in the centre of the Spanish capital.

The zone, known as Madrid Central, was introduced in November by the city’s then mayor, Manuela Carmena, a leftist. In April nitrogen dioxide levels in the city centre were down by 48% year on year, according to the environmental group Ecologists in Action.

Madrid’s new city council, which is led by the conservative People’s party (PP) and the centre-right Citizens party and backed by the far-right Vox, announced moves to begin rolling back the Madrid Central zone days after taking office in June.

Greenpeace, Ecologists in Action and other environmental groups appealed against the decision to abandon the scheme, and a judge in an administrative court ruled in their favour on Monday, saying pollution in Madrid could not be allowed to rise uncontrollably.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/08/judge-reinstates-madrids-ultra-low-emissions-zone