In Norway, clean transport is a part of everyday life. The path to this success was discussed during a workshop in the “Laboratory of Low Emission Zones” by Norwegian experts – former deputy mayor of Trondheim Ola Lund Renolen and Markus Nilsen Rotevatn from the Norwegian Association of Electric Vehicles.
The online workshop, which was met with great interest, gathered local government officials from cities of various sizes from all over the country, including Białystok, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Opole, as well as from Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk and Warsaw. – In Trondheim, the fee for electric cars for entering the toll ring zone is less than half of the fee for combustion vehicles, so it is even lower than the statutory upper limit of the discount – emphasized Ola Lund Renolen, former deputy mayor of Trondheim, now a city councilor, and added that the same solution is successfully used eg. in Kristiansand.
One advantage of the Norwegian toll rings is undoubtedly the clear, integrated fee collection system, which can be an inspiration for the Polish Low Emission Zones. Experts explained that the vehicle are registered at the place of residence, and the fees are calculated on the basis of a sticker, one for the whole country, which is controlled by cameras – crucially, each time a vehicle enters the ring, rather than selectively.
Other regulations also encourage the choice of clean transport, so that it simply pays off: electric car users can count on e.g. for subsidies to their purchase and tax reliefs.
– The wallet is the strongest argument for choosing clean transport – our research makes this evident. For more than 60 percent of the respondents, economic considerations were the most important motivation – emphasized Markus Nilsen Rotevatn from the Norwegian Association of Electric Vehicles, partner of the “LEZ Laboratory” project. – This is good news, because it is easier to convince people with the language of benefits than by referring to values. According to the expert, the importance of low emission zones will increase. – Of course, when creating them, the carrot will be more important than the stick – a well-developed public transport network is one of the best incentives to use clean transport – he noted.
Low Emission Zones are not only about restrictions – it is crucial to offer convenient transport alternatives to the car, as electromobility is an important, but insufficient element of an efficient LEZ – this is one of the conclusions of a debate organized as part of the “Laboratory pf Low Emission Zones” project. The meeting with local government officials, as well as representatives of NGOs was held on April 3rd as part of the “Local Trends” Local Government Financial Congress in Sopot.
Low Emission Zones serve primarily to reduce the emission of harmful substances. It is very difficult to find opponents of healthier air – at the same time, unfortunately, it cannot be denied that in Poland LEZs are often perceived mainly as a hindrance to everyday life. How can this image be changed? – It should be emphasized that the aim of Low Emission Zones is actually cleaner transport, rather than fully clean – i.e. zero-emission – transport. They do not completely exclude internal combustion vehicles and will not exclude them as part of the gradual tightening of emission requirements – noted Nina Bąk of T&E Transport & Environment, national coordinator of the Clean Cities campaign. Crucially, the common belief that the introduction of a clean transport zone will harm, for example, entrepreneurs operating in its area, is not always reflected in facts. Research conducted in Madrid has shown that the reduction of car traffic does not prevent customers from accessing shops and services. Turnover in the LEZ had not fallen – in some industries it had even increased. It turns out that the positive impact of car traffic on business is overestimated, and entrepreneurs will successfully function in LEZs – of course, provided that continuity of supplies is maintained. For some businesses, such as cafes and restaurants, less traffic can actually attract more customers.
It is also worth remembering that the purpose of creating Low Emission Zones is not to put pressure on residents to replace combustion engine cars with electric ones but to reduce pollution – and the alternative could be better access to public transport, preferably low-emission. A well-organized public transport network and developed infrastructure for bicycles, scooters and pedestrians have tangible benefits – residents do not have to spend more time traveling for the sake of cleaner air, because these means of communication are simply faster than private cars. – During the development of the tram network in our city, we checked which means of transport are the fastest. It turned out that bikes were the fastest, followed by trams and busses, while cars were the slowest – mentioned the President of Olsztyn, Piotr Grzymowicz.
Above all, however, LEZ is not a treatment for the symptoms of the problem of air pollution, but a complex system of solutions that bring specific results – provided that they are properly planned and integrated. When preparing to establish a Zone, one must realize that – whether we like it or not – the average Pole does not accept electric cars, which are perceived as accessible only for the rich. There are many negative stereotypes surrounding electric vehicles, partly because older technologies were more unreliable and less safe than those currently available on the market. Business can help change their perception – this does not apply solely to those who manufacture EVs and the infrastructure for their maintenance. – Companies can show private users that if this technology is chosen by entities whose existence depends transport, then it can be trusted – assessed Nina Bąk.
How do manufacturers of charging infrastructure electric vehicles view Low Emission Zones? – I treat electromobility as one of the elements that can support the functioning of the Zones – support, because LEZs are not about replacing combustion engine cars with EVs – Rafał Czyżewski, CEO of GreenWay Polska, echoed the statements of his interlocutors. – Electric vehicles certainly have a future in the city, but the construction of charging points cannot be treated only as an opportunity to profit from the sale of the land on which they will stand – it must be part of a broader strategy of developing clean transport – he emphasized.
Is it worth it for local governments to take advantage of the possibility of establishing Low Emission Zones? According to the Mayor of Olsztyn, yes, but only after thorough preparation. – In 2017, we conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the introduction of a LEZ based on analyses of intelligent traffic control systems and pollution studies. The most congested and polluted intersections and routes cannot simply be excluded from traffic – alternatives must be proposed, including bypasses, and this requires time – assessed Piotr Grzymowicz. – We will certainly move towards the introduction of a Low Emission Zone, but only after providing appropriate alternative communication routes – declared the President of Olsztyn.
In short, a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) is an area where urban air is cleaner, because only cars that meet particular emission standards can enter it. LEZ by itself does not solve the problem of urban smog, but it is a good tool to help polluted cities become resident-friendly again.
First of all, LEZs are nothing new. There are over 300 of them all over Europe, some of them have been working for a very long time – in Gothenburg for 30 years. However, until recently in Poland LEZs were seen as an extravagant idea, additionally burdened by the failed attempt to introduce one in Krakow’s Kazimierz district in 2019 (due to protests, it was liquidated after only two months – its failure was caused chiefly by ignoring the voices of residents and lack of good preparation). However, if hundreds of cities have functioning LEZs, there must be some rational argument in their favor? Indeed, there is.
This argument is nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) – the most harmful effects of using cars with internal combustion engines. For decades of automotive development this problem has been overlooked, but it indisputably it does exist. Today – due to the massive increase in traffic and the number of vehicles in use – it cannot be overlooked. Moreover, it needs to be solved. Doctors from the Silesian Centre for Heart Diseases conducted a study comparing the number of heart attacks, strokes, other cardiac complications, as well as the overall mortality rate during smog alarms in the Silesian Metropolitan Area. It turned out that the impact of air pollution, particularly nitrogen oxides, is devastating!
During periods of high concentration of nitrogen oxides in the air, Silesian hospitals admitted 12 percent more patients with myocardial infarction, while the number of stroke patients has increased by 16 percent. “The higher probability of stroke was associated with higher concentrations of nitrogen oxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, PM10 particulate matter, lower wind speed, and the announcement of a smog alert 3 and 5 days before the stroke” – states the study description. The number of patients with pulmonary embolism increased by 18 percent if the concentration of nitrogen oxide and dioxide increased, when ozone concentration decreased and the air humidity increased. The same factors caused more patients to be treated for atrial fibrillation in Silesian hospitals.
Silesian doctors also looked at general data on mortality – they found that during smog alerts and for the next few or even several days, 6 percent more people Silesian doctors also looked at general data on mortality – it transpired that during smog alerts and for the next few or even several days, 6 percent more people than usual died.
Cars are to blame – because we have them under our noses
Of course, smog is caused not only by cars on the streets – it comes from the chimneys of houses, factories and heating plants. But in the centers of large cities, buildings have central heating, there is no heavy industry, but cars drive literally under our noses. Both on the street and at home – polluted air destroys our bodies.
According to the 2020 report of the Supreme Audit Office entitled “Eliminating vehicles that excessively emit harmful substances from road traffic”, cars are responsible for 75 percent of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions in the Krakow and Warsaw municipal areas. Most of the blame can be placed on diesel engines.
A joint report of the TRUE Initiative (an international organization studying real car emissions) and the city of Warsaw shows that the lower the Euro standard of a vehicle, the more harmful its exhaust gases. Measurements made in 2022 on the streets of Warsaw showed that while the oldest diesel vehicles (manufactured before 2006) make up only 6 percent of the fleet, they are responsible for as much as 18 percent of the emissions of harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 37 percent of the particulate matter (PM) emissions caused by all diesel engines in Warsaw. According to measurements, cars from 2005 and older (regardless of the type of fuel), constitute only 17 percent of all vehicles on the streets of Warsaw, but emit as much as 37 percent of all nitrogen oxides and 52 percent of particulate matter.
It is worth pointing out that the results of a Supreme Audit Office audit from 2020 show that cars with all Euro standards exceed emission norms. Even among cars with Euro 5 and 6 certificates, several dozen percent of the examined vehicles emitted too much pollutants. This means that they were either in poor technical condition (with damaged or removed exhaust gas treatment systems, e.g. catalytic converters) or were produced by manufacturers involved in falsifying emission measurement results (the so-called “dieselgate scandal”).
LEZ – who must and who may want to have it
These facts explain why it is worth having a LEZ. However, some cities in Poland will have to introduce them. Where did this obligation come from? Article 39 of the Electromobility and Alternative Fuels Act of January 11th 2018 allows municipalities – regardless of their size – to establish LEZs, if they wish to do so. However, the National Recovery Plan (KPO) imposes the obligation to create LEZs for cities with more than 100 000 inhabitants, if the average annual concentrations of nitrogen oxides were exceeded – based on measurements of the Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection (GIOŚ). As of today, announcements made by GIOŚ show that in 2022, the norms in question were exceeded in Krakow, Warsaw, Wroclaw and Katowice – therefore, LEZs will most likely have to be established there. Warsaw (which is also obliged to create the zone by the implementation the Air Protection Program for the Mazovian Voivodeship) and Krakow have already made such decisions. LEZs in these two cities would be launched in mid-2024. Wroclaw is just getting ready, and Katowice are yet to make a move. Out of the four, Krakow stands out due to the scope of its ambitions, as it wants a LEZ to cover its entire area. However, the introduction of both LEZs is currently only at the stage of mandatory public consultations (required by the Electromobility and Alternative Fuels Act), which means that their final forms and specific rules of functioning are yet to be established.
One should keep in mind that there are no uniform standards specifying the pace at which increasingly tighter restrictions on Euro standards are to be introduced. Each city will determine of its own accord what kind of car will not be allowed to enter the LEZ from what date. This means that a combustion engine car which can enter the LEZ in the owner’s city of residence may not be allowed to enter such a zone in another city. The same applies vice versa – a car “excluded” at home may be able to enter the LEZ elsewhere. Similarly, stickers confirming the right to enter the LEZ issued in one city will not be valid in any other city.
One thing is certain – every LEZ will always be accessible for electric cars, as well as for cars powered by hydrogen and natural gas.
What distinguishes the Low Emission Zone in Antwerp? Not its size or the severity of the regulations, but how carefully it was prepared. A lot of time and effort was devoted to informing the residents about the changes that awaited them – years before the start of the Zone. Antwerp is a good example of how to implement LEZs in a way that respects those who will live there.
Antwerp started planning a Low Emission Zone more than a decade ago, in 2012, when preparatory studies measuring the level of the most toxic nitrogen dioxide and the amount of soot in the air of this Belgian city began. These studies not only served as the basis of the decision to introduce a LEZ which was made a year later, but were later used to assess the effects of its operation.
Talk to inhabitants first, introduce later
However, the decision to create a LEZ in Antwerp made in 2013 did not result in the immediate implementation of this idea. In 2014, residents were officially informed of the intention to establish a Zone, and the first phase of LEZ was not introduced until three years later. Why did the city authorities opt for such a seemingly slow process? The reasons were as follows:
• willingness and need to prepare an appropriate educational campaign, • providing residents with time to prepare for the upcoming changes, • launching monitoring systems and databases for the ongoing operation and control of the Zone.
The educational campaign aimed to make the inhabitants of Antwerp aware of the threat of pollution emitted by cars and of the means of fighting them effectively. At the same time, constant reminders about the changes awaiting in the coming years increased the chances that no one would miss them or forget about them – therefore, everyone would be able to prepare for them in accordance with the requirements and their person capabilities. Interestingly, in later years, after the launch of the LEZ, subsequent stages of tightening the regulations were planned, also at intervals of several years – precisely to give people the time necessary for planning and implementing life and business decisions related to the Zone. (e.g. car leasing, location of their company’s headquarters).
The campaign was carried out using all available channels and tools to reach the largest possible audience – by means of posters, brochures, films, articles, as well as in direct contact with garage owners and employees of vehicle inspection stations. It was carried out everywhere – on the Internet and in traditional media, and, of course, in the city – in hotels, tourist information offices, embassies, etc. The information had to reach both those who lived in Antwerp and those who ran business there or were just visiting. Communication was open and based on honest dialogue, which helped raise the level of public approval for the Low Emission Zone.
LEZ in Antwerp in numbers
The Antwerp zone covers only 10 percent of the city area – 20 square kilometers in the very center. Despite this, its area has as many as 200 000 of the over 500 000 residents. Its boundaries were determined by the fact that public transport in this area is dense and effective, which minimizes the impact of restrictions on the comfort of movement. In addition, outside the Zone, there are P+R car parks for people coming from outside the city, equipped with charging stations and places for bicycles.
The second significant characteristic of this Zone is that the control of compliance with its regulations is total, not random! It is carried out via the monitoring system built in the preparation phase, based on cameras that read the license plates of all cars entering the Zone. After eight days of “rest”, records from the cameras are directed to an automatic system that finds each vehicle in the database and checks whether it is allowed to enter the LEZ. The database contains the data of vehicles registered in the Netherlands and Belgium. Visitors from other countries must register in the database before entering the Antwerp zone, but the process is simple – it can be done via a phone app. The aforementioned 8 days of waiting before the control are intended for processing the records by the system.
When it comes to vehicles that do not have the right to enter the Zone, the situation is different – the database of one-off, paid passes is also checked. If a given car is not in it, a fine is inevitable.
Zone and punishment
Unauthorized entry to the Low Emission Zone in Antwerp will leave your wallet 150 euros lighter – but only if you break the restriction for the first time. A repeat offence within 12 months will set you back 250 euro, while the third and each subsequent illegal entry results in a fine of as much as 350 euro! To make sure that the fine is merited, each ticket is checked against the results from the database.
So, who can enter the Antwerp LEZ? Currently, from January 2020, electric cars, hydrogen cars and plug-in hybrids with CO2 emissions up to 50 g/km, military vehicles, emergency services vehicles, Euro 2 to 6 petrol combustion or LPG vehicles that meet the standards, as well as and Euro 5 to 6d diesels, are allowed to enter it without any restrictions. After purchasing a temporary permit (from one week to one month, four months or a year), Euro 4 diesels can also enter the Zone. Other cars must purchase a relatively expensive day pass for 35 euro, which can only be purchased eight times a year.
The emissions bar will be raised in Antwerp on February 1st 2025 – from this day onwards, Euro 2 standard petrol and LPG cars, as well as Euro 5 diesel cars will be prohibited from entering the Zone and only Euro 6d vehicles will be allowed in it. (photos: Thomas Konings on Unsplash and Aron Marinelli on Unsplash)
An inaugural workshop for local government officials in the “Laboratory of Low Emission Zones” project, with the participation of, among others, decision makers from the cities of Łódź, Kraków, Wrocław and the Metropolis GZM (Upper Silesia and Zagłębie Metropolitan Area), took place on January 12th in Katowice. The meeting was held as part of a GZM conference.
During the workshop, attended also by representatives of Białystok, Gdańsk, Gdynia, Poznań and Warsaw, the path that local governments who are considering introducing a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) should follow was presented and discussed – starting from verifying the level of pollution from road transport, through determining the geographical scope of the Zone and categories of vehicles authorized to enter, communication and educational activities, to the establishment of a LEZ and the evaluation of its functioning.
– Low Emission Zones are a new instrument in Poland, and their implementation requires a compromise between limiting vehicle traffic and the expected reduction of exhaust emissions. The foundation here is, of course, analyzes and research enabling the collection of necessary information about vehicles moving around the city and the pollution generated by them. Data from the Central Register of Vehicles and Drivers does not always allow to reliably determine these values, which is why the implementation of LEZ should start with testing exhaust emissions from road transport in real conditions and verifying to what extent they affect air quality – emphasized Maciej Mazur, Managing Director of the Polish Alternative Fuels Association (PSPA), partner of the “Laboratory of Low Emission Zones” project.The workshop was also an opportunity to present the goal and principle of this project. Participants of the meeting, which was held in hybrid form, got acquainted with the schedule of project activities addressed to local governments. One of them will be a study visit to Oslo, during which representatives of Polish local governments will have the opportunity to learn about the city’s efforts to develop clean transport and see the results first hand. A short Study Tour around the capital of Norway will include, among others, meetings with local decision makers and experts, as well as one of the workshops scheduled to be held within the project.
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