Glasgow City Council has come under fire for its hypocritical implementation of the Low Emissions Zone (LEZ). While the council is asking businesses and commuters to comply with the LEZ regulations, its own vehicles are not compliant and the Lord Mayor's VW Phaeton limousine is also banned.
The postponement of the tightening of the environmental zone in the Paris metropolitan area, the Zone à Faibles Émissions (ZFE), has significant implications for the 7.2 million inhabitants and the environmental agenda in general.
They deal with increasing criticism and sometimes they are even abolished, but low emission zones ultimately remain one of the green transport measures that politicians keep resorting to - to reduce emissions from road traffic, improve the quality of air and life for citizens and protect the environment as part of climate targets. This month, France, Denmark and Germany are also backing low-emission zones and driving bans. Green-Zones® lists the new rules for July.
Denmark wants stricter rules for vans. From 1 July, only N1 vehicles with Euronorm 6 or particulate filters will be allowed to drive in the Danish environmental zones of Aalborg, Aarhus, Copenhagen and Odense. Retrofitting is required for all vehicles registered before September 2016.
Engine exhaust is not the only source of environmental and air pollution in transport. Non-exhaust emissions such as so-called brake and tyre abrasion are also causing concern - and have the European Union and the car industry looking for more sustainable solutions. The Euro7 emissions standard planned for 2025 is soon to regulate particulate and microplastic emissions from pneumatics - and ensure that even cars with clean engines can keep polluting emissions from tyres and brakes under control. But the EU's plans have been sharply criticised.
Austria's Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler is considering a ban on new vehicles with internal combustion engines from 2027 to meet the country's climate targets. This proposal comes at a time when Austria is facing the adoption of important legislation due to opposition from the SPÖ.
Munich may not implement the second stage of its diesel driving ban due to improved air quality. The first stage, which came into force on 1 February, banned Euro 4 diesel vehicles from the Mittlerer Ring. The ban aims to reduce nitrogen dioxide levels and further driving bans are planned if levels do not improve. However, the readings in Landshuter Allee have improved significantly, so there is hope that further driving bans will not be necessary.
Like a miniature fuel production plant, the leaf produces bio-ethanol and -propanol from light, water and CO2. Applied on a larger scale, this could be an interesting solution for the climate-neutral production of synthetic fuels - and thus represent a further step away from fossil fuels.
In Sri Lanka, electromobility initially means converting autorickshaws to e-drives. Approximately 600,000 tuk-tuks will say goodbye to combustion engines in the coming years in order to support the country's economy - and to make transport on the island more sustainable. Will environmental zones be set up for this?
In addition to the existing strict environmental zone, an additional truck driving ban and four block clearance days on tomorrow's public holiday are planned for the Ascension week in Tyrol. Additional driving bans on main and secondary roads in the region are also planned for the coming months to dose traffic. Long traffic jams are to be expected in the Inn Valley and the rest of Tyrol.
