Madrid will maintain all its low-emission zones because “they have given good results.” It will do so by approving a new Mobility Ordinance that avoids the decision of the High Court of Justice of Madrid (TSJM) against the one currently in force, which this week annulled the zones reserved for the most polluting cars.
The council’s intention is to start developing new regulations based on the current regulations, respecting the restrictions that, until now, have served to ensure that the capital has the best air quality data in its historical series. In 2022 and 2023, the capital was below the pollution limits set by the EU, a fact that will probably be repeated in 2024.
In parallel, the municipal legal services will present an appeal to the Supreme Court to stop the execution of the aforementioned judgment and prevent the opening of Madrid’s streets to cars without an environmental label. The appeal must be processed in the coming months, which would allow the new mobility ordinance to be approved sooner so that, whatever the decision, low-emission zones are protected.
The response of the Madrid City Council to this decision is the simplest, given the comfortable absolute majority that Almeida has in Cibeles, which allows him to modify any municipal regulation without having to negotiate it with the rest of the political groups.
