Gijón is the first Spanish city to ban entry if you are not displaying the DGT badge

Gijón has become the first Spanish city to ban entry to all vehicles that do not display the badge of the Directorate-General for Traffic. As of 1 June, all cars entering Gijón must display the Directorate-General for Traffic label; otherwise, they may be fined up to 90 euros.

This new measure in Gijón will affect most vehicles, as it is mandatory to carry the environmental badge of the Directorate-General for Traffic. It should be noted that this new measure will affect 71% of the vehicles in the Asturian city, although it will also apply to all cars regardless of where they come from.

This is the first city to ban entry to vehicles without an environmental label

The fine for not complying with the new access rules for Gijón is 90 euros. However, the Gijón City Council has assured that failing to comply with the rule will not result in the vehicle being immobilised or removed by a municipal tow truck.

In this way, and with this new rule, town councils are beginning to tighten the restrictions on cars entering major cities. Although the Asturian city has been the first to implement this measure, it will be extended on 1 January 2023. On that date, the Low Emission Zones, LEZ, could come into force in all municipalities with a population of more than 50,000 inhabitants.

The opposition in Gijón’s council has voted against the measure, in particular the spokesperson for Foro, who has described this new regulation as “revenue-raising” and has called for “a public information campaign”. He has also wanted to point out that this ban “would also affect a motorcycle fleet estimated at 23,000 units“.

The truth is that since the measure was published, requests to Correos for the Directorate-General for Traffic environmental label have skyrocketed.