About ZBE Rondes de Barcelona

High levels of pollution create a very serious public health problem. In this context, and like other European metropolitan areas, the low emissions zone (LEZ) within Barcelona's ring roads (ZBE Rondes de Barcelona) will be launched on 1 January 2020.


 

What is it?

The low emissions zone (LEZ) within Barcelona's ring roads (ZBE Rondes de Barcelona) is an area of more than 95 km2 which includes Barcelona and the municipalities adjacent to the ring roads, where traffic of the most polluting vehicles will gradually be restricted. This is one of the municipal measures to ensure the quality of the air we breathe and guarantee the right to health in the city.

The aim is to reduce the use of the most polluting private vehicles. It covers the entire municipality of Barcelona (except the Zona Franca and the neighbourhoods of Vallvidrera, Tibidabo and Les Planes), the municipalities of Sant Adrià de Besòs and L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, and part of the municipalities of Esplugues de Llobregat and Cornellà de Llobregat.

  • Area affected

    Area affected and excluded roads in the area:

     

    Intrarondes

     

  • How to recognise the ZBE

    More than one hundred traffic signals have been installed on the ring roads to show drivers that they are entering the low emissions zone within Barcelona's ring roads (ZBE Rondes de Barcelona).
     

    Senyal que indica l'accés a la ZBE
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Calendar

The ZBE restricts traffic of the most polluting vehicles, and it is applied on a gradual basis to different vehicles depending on their DGT environmental label.

  • From 1 January 2019

    Traffic restricted during pollution events for cars and other light vehicles (L) without an environmental label.

  • From 1 January 2020
    • Who it affects: permanent prohibition on travel in the low emissions zone (ZBE) within Barcelona's ring roads on cars (M1), motorcycles and mopeds (L) that do not have a DGT environmental label.
    • Time in force: from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday to Friday.
    • Authorised vehicles: access the register for more information.
  • From 1 April 2021
    • Who it affects: extension of the permanent prohibition on travel in the low emission zone (ZBE) within the Barcelona's ring roads to vans (N1) that do not have a DGT label.
    • Time in force: from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday to Friday.
    • Authorised vehicles: access the register for more information.
  • From 1 January 2022 (N2, N3 and M2)
    • Who it affects: extension of the permanent prohibition on travel in the low emissions zone (ZBE) within Barcelona's ring roads to lorries (N2, N3) and small buses (M2) that do not have a DGT environmental label.
    • Time in force: from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday to Friday.
    • Authorised vehicles: access the register for more information.
  • From 1 July 2022 (M3)
    • Who it affects: extension of the permanent prohibition on travel in the low emissions zone (ZBE) within Barcelona's ring roads to buses and coachs (M3) for passenger transport that do not have a DGT environmental label.
    • Time in force: from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday to Friday.
    • Authorised vehicles: access the register for more information.
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Actions

Find out about the measures that AMB is taking in the field of sustainable mobility.

Actions and projects

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Implementation in other cities

Barcelona has the largest low emissions zone (ZBE) in southern Europe. At present, more than two hundred European cities in ten countries, including London, Berlin, Paris, etc., have been implementing low emissions zones for years, with restrictions on the most polluting vehicles to safeguard their inhabitants' health:

Londres Low Emission Zone
Paris Zone à circulation restreinte
Berlin Umweltzone Berlin
Brussels Low Emission Zone

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Regulations

Reglament del Registre metropolità de vehicles estrangers i altres vehicles autoritzats a les zones de baixes emissions
Taxa per a la gestió metropolitana de les zones de baixes emissions

Municipal ordinances
Barcelona
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
Cornellà de Llobregat
Esplugues de Llobregat
Sant Adrià de Besòs

Directiva 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2008 on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe (regulating pollutants, particulate matter, sulphur and nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead, and ozone, among others).

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