Traffic in Madrid – Photo: José Antonio Morcillo Valenciano (Flickr) CC BY
The capital has a very high amount of pollution, and has worsened in the past year following the economic recovery. Is making a comeback to the use of the car, and the city Council could be facing a penalty millionaire of the European Union. Since it is not only for this concept, is that we speak of a public health problem.
by 2020, the municipal government of Now Madrid will implement measures that go beyond restrictions of movement and parking the worst days of the year. Those affected will be the “cars are not clean”. In an interview to The Country, Sabanés has not spoken explicitly of diesel engines, but it was assumed that it would be the first to lose mobility.
In the engines of gasoline and diesel there are different levels of contamination, depends on the normative Euro in effect at the time of its design and marketing, and the more ancient they are, the more contaminants were allowed. The technology has evolved and the boundaries have been soaking. We have set boundaries so hard, that very few new models and respect them unless they are in ideal conditions, in a laboratory.
low emissions in London – Photo: EURIST e.V. (Flickr) CC BY
¿What we mean by “car’s not clean”?
In 2020, a car that meets the Euro 5 standard and will be almost 10 years or more, and that is homologaron for Euro 4 no walk in the fortnight or more. We can say for sure that the diesel Euro 4 and above will be prohibited to circulate by the interior of the M-30, minus exceptions, such as residents, vehicles, historical, etc Possibly the Euro 5 would also be considered as “not clean”.
In petrol engines you can relax the criterion a generation, because they emit far fewer nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particles. Therefore, the generation Euro 4 might be permitted with this fuel, and prohibited the use of diesel fuel. Euro 3 we can almost take for granted that would not be allowed, are cars homologated between 2001 and 2004, primarily.
In several european countries there is a classification by colors, that lists the cars in function of their level of emissions and generation Euro. In Spain you will need to apply a system of that kind, that it was reported at the time of the previous municipal government (PP), but it never came to be implemented. In fact, the current government started to implement measures that the PP never took place, and with a recent reform, have been hardened.
Area of low emissions in Berlin (Umweltzone) – Photo: GillyBerlin (Flickr) CC BY
on the other hand, should be exempt from the hybrid models, electric, or converted to gas, regardless of when homologaron. These technologies drastically reduce the emission of NOx and particles, then it is just to allow them to circulate and to park without restrictions. It is about reducing the pollution, not harass the citizens free of charge.
The managers of the City of Madrid know that some measures will not be popular and will require explanations. Keep in mind that in Madrid, they enrol almost a third of all passenger cars sold in the country, these measures can significantly influence what they buy citizens in the short and medium term.
My professional opinion is that if anyone is planning to go and return to the central core of the M-30 should rethink whether to buy a diesel or not. Although a current model is type-approved to Euro 6 (in theory, clean diesel), the research arising out of the Dieselgate can stain seriously its reputation. Outside of the laboratories are not cars as clean as they said to be, and that is going to be the “beret” of the city.
The European Union will change in 2017 their methods for standardization, including tests on actual road, although the emission limits are going to relax, given that the 80 mg/km of NOx are virtually impossible to meet for the bulk of the Euro 6 diesel. All this does not help to sell the idea that the Euro 6 diesel is “clean” and deserve to be able to circulate through the central core.
Several european cities are you going to put serious restrictions on the traffic, diesel or diesel and gasoline, starting in the next decade. It is not an occurrence point of a populist government, is really is to reduce the pollution, and you can not depend on a climate favorable or holidays. Either that, or the citizens of Madrid to vote in the referendum if you prefer to breathe in or have the right to use his private car without any restrictions.
at the moment everything is in phase of study and we can not openly talk about the prohibition for the diesel, but there is a likely huge. The doubt is where will be the restraints, if they will allow the Euro 5, Euro 6, or none. The gasoline should have something more than manga ancha. If no action is taken in Madrid, you can end up like any big chinese city, with an air unbreathable.
–