Madrid's new anti-pollution protocol
October arrives in Madrid with news about traffic restrictions in the city. The City Council, from the Department of the Environment, has prepared an action protocol that has been in place since the middle of the month. The aim is to protect the lungs of the people of Madrid against high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO). From now on, when there are very high pollution peaks, restrictions will be put in place for the most polluting vehicles, which will not be allowed to circulate in the city. So, attention to drivers who live in Madrid or those who are going to pass through the capital with their vehicle because this anti-pollution protocol comes to toughen the measures that existed until now. We detail the actions of the Madrid City Council that affect all vehicle users.
What is the new protocol?
The list of measures is very extensive and has to do with the type of vehicle, the areas of Madrid affected, the reduction in the maximum levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and the creation of levels of notice and advance notice depending on the pollution level. In this way, traffic and parking restrictions are applied throughout the city.
First of all, the existing system of odd and even number plates to limit the circulation of vehicles is abandoned. It will depend on the DGT environmental badges.
. Madrid's anti-pollution zone is extended.
. The restriction on motorbikes is included for the first time.
. A new criterion has been created for activating warning and pre-warning levels in the different scenarios in the capital.
Progressive measures
Measures and various warning levels are envisaged, depending on the level of pollution in Madrid.
Levels of Notice
It occurs when two stations in the same area in the city are exceed 180 micrograms/m3 of Nitrogen Dioxide for two consecutive hours. Or at three stations for three hours when 180 micrograms/m3 NO2 is also exceeded.
Warning Levels
Occurs when two stations in the same area have a exceed 200 micrograms/m3 for two consecutive hours. Or the same amount at three stations for three continuous hours.
Alert Level
Here, account shall be taken of the fact that three stations in the same zone, or two in zone 4, exceed 400 micrograms/m3 for three consecutive hours.
The anti-pollution plan will come into force when the levels of pre-warning or warning are exceeded. On the first day, the measures of the first scenario will be activated. This means:
. Speed reduction to 70km/hour on M-30 and access.
. For all other scenarios: traffic and parking restrictions. One day's notice will be given.
The Protocol's five pollution scenarios
Five pollution scenarios and measures in line with these scenarios are envisaged, and the biggest novelty is the fifth scenario that has been established. We explain it to you.
So far, in the scenario 1 speed was limited to 70k/h on the M-30 and accesses to the city. It is implemented on the first day that the warning levels are exceeded. Speed is limited to 70km/h on the M-30 and accesses to Madrid on the M-40.
Scenario 2. It occurs when there are two consecutive days of notice level or one day of exceeding the warning level. It is then ban parking in the SER zone In addition, no cars or motorbikes without the DGT's environmental badge will be allowed to circulate on the M-30 or in the city's central ring road, except those that have been classified as ECO or ZERO.
Scenario 3. The traffic filter is applied according to the DGT labels. Thus the most polluting vehicles no cars, mopeds or motorbikes may circulate throughout the city.. It is also recommended that off-duty taxis, except Zero and Eco taxis, are not allowed to circulate. This measure will be activated after three days at the Pre-warning level or two consecutive days when the warning level is exceeded.
Scenario 4. When the warning level is maintained for four consecutive days. All pre-2006 petrol and pre-2014 diesel vehicles will not be allowed on the road on the M-30 and its interior. Only B-labelled vehicles will be allowed to do so. Parking is prohibited in SER zones, except for Zero and Eco vehicles. Taxis will also not be allowed to circulate, unless they have the Zero or Eco label.
With scenario 5 and, as a new development, the European Union's early warning measures are put in place. It is considered Alert situation. No vehicle may circulate without the environmental sticker. Zero or Echo and parking in SER will only be allowed for Ceros.
In any of the five cases, the Madrid City Council recommends the following use of public transport during those days.
Which areas of Madrid will be affected?
Until now, the Madrid City Council has distinguished 4 Residential Priority Areas (RPA), where vehicle access was restricted in order to reduce noise and air pollution levels. These are the neighbourhoods of Las Letras, Las Cortes, Embajadores and Ópera. With this new protocol, the area extends beyond the centre: the inner ring of the M-30. The 7 districts affected are: Centro, Tetuán, Chamberí, Chamartín, Salamanca, Retiro and Arganzuela.
This does not mean that NO2 levels will not be measured in the rest of Madrid's districts. It has been verified over the last few months that these neighbourhoods outside the M-30 have also suffered high levels of pollution.
The city of Madrid has been divided into 5 zones, taking into account:
. The structure of the road network.
. The population level.
. The types and distribution of air quality monitoring system stations.
| ZONES | STATIONS |
| 1 (Inside M-30) | 7 in traffic (Escuelas Aguirre, Catellana, Plaza de Castilla, Ramón y Cajal, Cuatro Caminos, Plaza de España and Barrio del Pilar) + 3 in the background (Plaza del Carmen, Méndez Álvaro and Retiro). |
| 2 ( South-East) | 1 traffic (Moratalaz) + 2 background (Vallecas and Ensanche de Vallecas) |
| 3 ( North-East) | 5 deep (Arturo Soria, Sanchinarro, Urbanización Embajada, Barajas pueblo and Tres Olivos) + 1 suburban (Juan Carlos I) |
| 4 ( Northwest) | 2 suburban (El Pardo and Casa de Campo) |
| 5 (Southwest) | 1 traffic (Férnandez Ladreda) + 2 background (Farorillo and Villaverde) |
Which vehicles stay in and which stay out?
The Dirección General de Tráfico has created an environmental labelling classification for all vehicles. Although its use is now voluntary, users have, from now on, six months to obtain these stickers, which they will have to place on the windscreens of their vehicles. Those affected by these measures will be those vehicles that do not have an environmental sticker, i.e. petrol cars prior to 2000 and diesel cars registered before 2006. In other words, on days with very high pollution peaks in Madrid, both cars and highly polluting motorbikes will not be allowed to circulate on the city's roads.
To find out which one corresponds to your vehicle, you can consult it at the DGT website Depending on the environmental situation in Madrid and the colour of the sticker, you will know where you can drive and where to park.
Environmental Label 0 Blue
This refers to electric vehicles. The speed limit will be 70km/hour on the M-30 and access roads. You can visit circular by Madrid and park in the SER zone
ECO Environmental Label
Hybrid vehicles, whose speed limit shall be 70 km/hour. You can visit circular along the M-30 and the rest of Madrid. Y park in the SER zone of the city.
Environmental Label C Green
These vehicles will not be allowed to exceed 70 km/hour on the M-30 and access roads. Allowed circular in the rest of Madrid and will be able to park in the SER zone.
Environmental Label B Yellow
They may not exceed 70km/hour on the M-30 and access roads. You can visit circular along the M-30 and the city's central ring road. And allowed park in the SER zone.
How can you get these labels?
They are available at all post offices. And you can buy them for 5 euros. To obtain them, you only need to present your ID card and the vehicle's registration certificate. The DGT recommends “to be affixed to the lower right-hand corner of the front windscreen or, failing that, to any visible part of the vehicle”. It's that easy!
Which vehicles will be allowed access to the centre of Madrid?
I'm sure you are wondering, but what happens if I live in the city centre, or if I am a delivery driver or have a business and I have to access the most central streets every day? What happens then with emergency vehicles or taxis? We tell you how access to Madrid is in exceptional cases.
. If you are resident in the neighbourhoods of the Centro district, you will be able to access with your own vehicle as long as you own it and are registered there. If not, you will have to have a Zero or Eco environmental sticker on your vehicle. The same applies if you have an establishment in the centre.
. Taxis can access without registration until 2025. After that year, they will only be able to do so with Zero or Eco vehicles.
. The people with reduced mobility will be able to access the centre with any vehicle, as long as they have previously communicated their registration number to the City Council.
. Shared vehicles. Cars such as Zity, eMOv, Car2Go... will follow the established rules and will have to have the environmental label. And they will only be able to park in the SER zone if they are Eco or Zero.
. For the services of collective transport, cleaning vehicles or special such as funeral services, armoured vehicles or those licensed for radio/television broadcasting. They will be allowed to circulate with a differentiated access schedule depending on the technology of the vehicle. Without a label, a transition period is established. From 1 January 2020, vehicles weighing less than 3,500 kilos and without an environmental sticker will not be allowed access.
. With regard to essential services such as ambulances, security forces, mobility officers or municipal tow trucks, The same environmental labelling rules and the same timetable apply to them depending on their weight.
So, drivers beware! From now on the anti-pollution protocol will be activated at any time, whenever the warning levels for high levels of pollution in Madrid are exceeded. The Environment and Mobility Department of the Consistory will provide timely information on these traffic restrictions and speed limits.
