New DGT traffic sign for Low Emission Zones. Who is affected?

A new specific plate for the Low Emission Zones (ZBE) will be installed in many Spanish cities. This plate prohibits the circulation of combustion vehicles, except those with the indicated environmental badge that are authorized by the corresponding local authority.

The main objective of this new sign is to create a common indication for all LEZ of the country, and in this way make it easier for transport operators and drivers in general to identify these places. The ZBEs allow for cities with better air quality and mitigation of climate change and noise pollution, major problems for people's health.

This measure is part of the Climate Change and Ecological Transition Law, which requires municipalities with more than 50.000 inhabitants or municipalities with more than 20.000 inhabitants with air quality problems to declare themselves as ZBE before 2023.

Currently in our country, only Madrid and Barcelona have Low Emission Zones. However, with the Law on Climate Change and Ecological Transition, in less than two years almost 150 populations will have this type of areas, as this is the number of towns in our country that meet this criteria.

DGT 3.0, a platform for everyone

The DGT, invite municipalities that find themselves in this situation to participate and facilitate the identification of those areas and roads included in the Low Emission Zones and any measures relating to access restrictions to the municipalities.

This information will be collected on the platform called DGT 3.0, a connected platform that will provide drivers with information on ZBE, schedules or types of vehicles affected by these restrictions in order to provide drivers, manufacturers or mobility applications with data relating to these restrictions.

Jorge Ordas, Deputy Director of Mobility and Technology at the DGT, stated that they hoped that the DGT 3.0 platform would help and contribute to eliminating congestion caused by hectic traffic in cities.

In the example of the image of the signal of the DGT, we see how both vehicles without a label and vehicles with the B badge are excluded from circulation, however, as this is an example, we do not have to worry about whether or not this type of vehicle will be allowed to circulate.

Who should clarify their criteria regarding which vehicles to allow to circulate are the Town Councils from the corresponding places, which added to the change of labels which will arrive at the end of July, means that it is still too early to decide which cars will or will not be excluded from circulation.