ARCHIVED - Cartagena becomes third Spanish city to approve Low Emission Zones
The municipality is the first in the Murcia Region to create ‘super blocks’ where traffic will be limited
The Urban Planning and Environment Commission has provisionally approved legislation that will create the first low emission zones in Cartagena. The regulations will make the Murcia district the third city in Spain, after Madrid and Barcelona, to implement the environmental measure stipulated in the Law on Climate Change and Energy Transition.
The low emission zones have been approved for El Casco and El Ensanche and aim to improve environmental health and reduce vehicle pollutants by 30% in the next decade by encouraging residents and tourists to use more sustainable means of transport.
Ultimately, the Cartagena City Council wants to reduce traffic, promote public transport and electric vehicles, construct more bike lanes and semi-pedestrian areas, reduce circulation in specific urban areas and at specific times, and establish speed limits of less than 50km/h in the city.
Cartagena is very different from Barcelona and the Spanish capital in that much of the historical city centre is already pedestrianised and so has limited vehicle access anyway. Nevertheless, the mayor explained that the new ordinance doesn’t seek to cut off vehicular access to the city entirely, but rather encourage alternatives like buses and bikes that should considerably reduce road traffic.
To do so, the authorities will allow vehicle access to homes and businesses within the low emission zones while monitoring pollution levels, always reserving the right to implement limitations in certain areas.
This will form the first ‘super block’ in the Region which can be expanded gradually with the agreement of residents and businesses, depending on the results.
You might also like: Plans finalised to restore and open large 2,000-year-old Roman house in Cartagena
Image: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena
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