Does the limitation of movement for the most polluting vehicles in Barcelona and other cities affect you?

The Low Emissions Zone or ZBE encompasses the entire territory between the Ronda de Dalt and the Ronda Litoral de Barcelona, some 95 square kilometers in total.

Therefore, it not only includes the city of Barcelona, but also affects areas of other cities such as L'Hospitalet, Esplugues or Cornellà, in the Llobregat area, and Sant Adria in the Besós area.

Within the Low Emissions Zone, have established some areas that are exempt from this limitation. The main ones are the Rondas themselves, both Dalt and Litoral, through which you can circulate without any limitation. The Free Zone, and the areas of Tibidabo, Vallvidrera and Les Planes, within the municipality of Barcelona, are also left out.

Although you can drive through the Rondas, if you drive one of the vehicles considered more contaminant, you will not be able to leave at any of the exits that access the ZBE, which are practically all of them. 

(Mapa elperiodico.com)

The limitation is in effect from Monday to Friday, from 7 in the morning until 8 at night. Therefore, during the week it will only be possible to circulate freely at night. 

In addition, on weekends and holidays, even if they are from Monday to Friday, it will also be possible to circulate throughout the LEZ without limitation. .

This circulation limitation affects all vehicles without a DGT label.

Therefore it is mandatory for drivers of: 

• petrol cars registered before January 2000 (Euro 3 standard)
• Diesel passenger cars registered before the Euro 4 standard (years 2005 and 2006)
• Motorcycles and mopeds registered before January 2003 (Euro 2 standard)

There are vehicles that, although due to their characteristics they are considered to be in the group of the most polluting, may circulate freely through the LEZ, either on specific days or on a regular basis.

The first group is made up of vehicles dedicated to transporting people with reduced mobility or those dedicated to essential services (medical, fire and police services).

Another exception to the limitation allows drivers of cars affected by the limitation to request special authorizations 10 days/times a year. Each authorization for a day of free movement through the ZBE has an associated fee of €2, which must be paid when requesting it.

This fee will be €1 for those who prove a household income of less than two times the IPREM, therefore the families that earn less than €1,076 per month. If you have income below the IPREM plus 10%, therefore less than €592, this fee will be free, although it is also limited to 10 days a year.

These authorizations must be processed, paying the corresponding fee, on the website zberegistre.ambmobilitat.cat, before 11:59 p.m. the day before.

A moratorium has been established on the application of the limitation that affects all vehicles of classes N1, N2, N3 for the transport of goods and those of type M2 and M3, dedicated to the transport of people. 

With this moratorium, a few months are given to adapt to companies and the self-employed: until July 1, 2021, in the case of small trucks and coaches, or until January 1, 2022, in the case of buses and large coaches.

It seems that these deadlines may be extended in these two groups, if it is not possible to adapt them to the requirements of the limitation with the installation of filters.

There is also a moratorium that affects vans registered before October 1, 1994 (before the Euro 2 standard) that may circulate without limitation until April 1, 2021.

A control system for compliance with the limitation has been established, made up of 70 cameras, which will soon be 130, 20 surveillance points and Guàrdia Urbana vehicles, throughout the Low Emissions Zone. All these devices will scan all the license plates of the vehicles that pass through their area and will compare them with the data in a database.

Cars and motorcycles that skip the traffic limitation will face fines from 100 to 499 euros.

Once the moratorium ends, vehicles transporting goods and people who skip the limitation will face fines of 500 to 999 euros.

Finally, they can be fined up to 1,803 euros to the vehicles affected by the limitation that circulate in episodes of air pollution, which are marked by the Generalitat based on the periodic readings that are made.

In case of recidivism, a surcharge of 30%.

Wearing the tag is not mandatory and you cannot be fined for not wearing it. Although it is recommended, according to the authorities, to facilitate the control work. Although, as we have told you, the control system is based on the license plate scan and not on the sticker.

In the event that your vehicle, due to its characteristics, must carry one of the available labels (B,C , ECO or ZERO) and it has not arrived, you can request it through the DGT website, at Post Offices or at your own trusted workshop, if it is associated with the Gremi de Tallers de Reparació d'Automòbils de Barcelona.< /p>