Girona's Low Emission Zone comes into force, which is expected to reduce pollution by 33% by 2030.

Today, Girona joined the list of fourteen Catalan municipalities, most of them in the Barcelona metropolitan area, that have already implemented a Low Emission Zone (LEZ), in compliance with European regulations to reduce environmental pollution in municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants. According to municipal estimates, CO2 emissions will have been reduced by 32.8% within five years.

The City Council will begin imposing fines on the most polluting vehicles today, although the regulations provide for many exemptions and a series of rather mild restrictions. In practical terms, only 5% of the vehicles currently circulating in Girona do not meet the criteria for circulation within the LEZ.

Polluting vehicles domiciled in Girona will be able to circulate without problems.

These are vehicles that lack an environmental label (0, ECO, C, or B) due to their age and that have not registered their vehicle with Girona City Council before December 2024. However, in these cases, the law will allow them to circulate within the LEZ for up to 24 days over the course of a year. After this limit, they will begin to be fined. Fines rise to €200, half that amount if the fine is paid within the first 20 days of notification.

However, vehicles that do not meet environmental requirements but are registered in the city before December 2024, meaning they pay road tax in Girona, will be able to circulate within the LEZ without fear of being fined.

There is no need to display the sticker on the front window of the vehicle; the 20 cameras located at the entrances automatically read all license plates.

Vehicles used for transporting people with reduced mobility, buses, ambulances, funeral vehicles, and emergency services, among others, will also be exempt from the regulation. Those traveling to Girona for work aboard a polluting vehicle may request an exemption, which the City Council will analyze on a case-by-case basis. This exemption is also applicable to foreigners who spend long periods of time there, as the license plate cameras that have been installed only read license plates assigned by the General Directorate of Traffic.

The Councilor for Mobility and Public Space, Isaac Sánchez, explained this morning that just over 200 exemptions have been authorized so far. He acknowledges that the restrictions applied to access the LEZ are lenient "because the city's pollution level is not high." Sánchez asserts that Girona "does not have a serious problem with polluting emissions," except for some points on the Ferran Puig ring road, which may exceed the limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

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The restrictions will apply Monday to Friday, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., while on weekends and public holidays, there will be complete freedom of movement. The LEZ in Girona encompasses a large area bordered by La Devesa, Riu Güell Street, Les Pedreres, the Old Quarter, Emili Grahit, Avinguda Josep Terradellas, Barcelona Highway, and Països Catalans Square.

At the entrances to these areas, information signs and around twenty cameras have been placed, which will be responsible for reading the license plates of all vehicles entering the LEZ. Drivers do not need to affix the environmental label sticker to their front window, as the cameras are capable of reading all license plates at once.

The implementation of the LEZ took some drivers by surprise, who were driving through the area this morning and were unaware of its entry into force. However, most drivers were relaxed about complying with the established requirements.

A young supermarket worker in the Devesa area explained that he wasn't aware the regulation was coming into effect today, "although I'd heard something about it on the news." "It doesn't affect me; I have a new car, just two years old, that meets the environmental requirements." Laura, who works in the city, wasn't at all concerned either. "My car, which is ten years old, is registered here, so nothing."

Two park-and-ride parking lots

The City Council is working on the creation of two park-and-ride parking lots on the outskirts of the city. One of them, with a capacity of more than 100 spaces, will be built in the Mas Gri area. The Council will study whether a shuttle bus to the city center is necessary or whether bus line 2, which serves this area, is sufficient. The other parking lot will be located in the Domeny neighborhood, opposite the Nestlé factory.