The Madrid 360 plan will allow vehicles with a C label to drive through the low-emission zone

On the one hand, Madrid 360 shields the city against the most polluting vehicles, while on the other hand it once again allows vehicles with a C label to travel through Madrid

Today, Madrid City Council presented the main lines of its new air quality improvement plan, known as Madrid 360.

This project tackles the emission of toxic and greenhouse gases from several fronts and approaches the problem by extending its scope beyond the automotive sector, unlike Madrid Central, which had placed the focus on cars driving through the Spanish capital.

Among other measures, the plan includes phasing out coal- or diesel-fired boilers, expanding green areas, reducing incineration emissions at the Valdemingomez waste plant, and creating two bus routes serving the Centro district, free of charge for citizens. These are some of the proposals contained in Madrid 360.

Furthermore, regarding private transport, two very different measures stand out. On the one hand, there is a ban on petrol vehicles manufactured before 2000 or diesel vehicles manufactured before 2006, cars classified with the A label by the Spanish Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) which, as we reported in the linked article, will gradually see their presence on Madrid’s roads reduced.

On the other hand, a helping hand is extended to vehicles with the C badge which, provided they carry two or more occupants, will be allowed to drive within the low-emission zone.

High-occupancy vehicles with a C badge will be able to drive through Madrid 360

The other major novelty is the opening of the low-emission zone of Madrid to traffic and parking for vehicles with a C label.

These vehicles may drive in the zone as long as they carry at least two occupants and, except in the case of residents or traders, must park in underground car parks and never on the public highway.

The purpose of this measure is to encourage car sharing among those who need to reach the city centre, so that using one car instead of two means fewer emissions.

For its part, vehicles classified as A will be banned from entering this area, while B and C vehicles may only park in the aforementioned underground car parks.

Madrid City Council states that public car parks in the Centro area will lower their rates to make access easier and, above all, to ease the cost of parking these vehicles in covered car parks, which are significantly more expensive than parking in the current green or blue zone of Madrid.