New restrictions in Low Emission Zones in 2022

As of January 1, 2022, Madrid will activate its new Low Emissions Zone (ZBE). Until now they already had two special protection zones, the Central District and the Plaza Elíptica.

To these areas is added the new ZBE, which establishes certain restrictions on vehicles from outside Madrid: It affects passenger cars with environmental classification A that are not domiciled in the city of Madrid, following the following schedule:

• From January 1, 2022: Prohibited access and circulation on urban public roads inside the M-30, excluding the M-30 itself.
• From January 1, 2023: Access and circulation on the M-30 is prohibited.
• From January 1, 2024: Access and circulation is prohibited on all urban public roads in the municipality of Madrid.
• From January 1, 2025: The ban is also extended for A passenger cars domiciled in Madrid.

The prohibition of entry to urban roads inside the M-30 will have an adaptation period, which will only inform vehicles that skip it. As of March 1, 2022, those who are captured by the automatic photographic control system will be fined.

It should also be noted that, in the ZBE area of the Central District of Madrid, vehicles with a B label are prohibited from entering.

In Barcelona, vehicles with a B label that are not domiciled in the city were scheduled to be banned from driving on January 1, 2022. According to the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), this ban has been postponed without a scheduled date still in force.

Passenger cars with label A already have restricted access throughout the ZBE, which includes Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Sant Adrià de Besòs, and a part of Esplugues de Llobregat and Cornellà de Llobregat. The towns of Badalona and Santa Coloma de Gramanet have been added to these areas since January 1, 2022.

The restrictions on buses and coaches without a label, those registered before 2007, also scheduled for the beginning of 2022, are also postponed until at least June 30, 2022.

Other cities have begun to take action, such as Valencia, with a ZBE project in the historic center of the city. Bilbao also wants to limit access to its Old Town.

In Seville there is already the LEZ, its low emissions zone, which is only activated on days when pollution in the city is high.

In fact, the Climate Change Law establishes that, as of 2023, all Spanish cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants must have a Low Emissions Zone.