Guide to avoiding getting lost in Girona's new low-emission zone

GironaOn September 15, Girona's low-emission zone (LEZ) will come into effect. The perimeter of the LEZ extends from Devesa Park to Carrer Emili Grahit, and from Carrer del Riu Güell to Carrer del Carme and the Barri Vell neighborhood. Entrances to the restricted area will be marked with signs, and photo surveillance cameras have also been installed. Restricted hours will be from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. Outside of these hours, all vehicles may circulate without exception on weekends and midweek holidays. The LEZ control system in Girona uses 20 cameras located at 13 points along public roads in the city. These cameras take photographs of all vehicles that do not have an environmental sticker and that have not been previously authorized. The photographs of vehicles without an environmental sticker and unauthorized vehicles are sent to a database of the Barcelona Metropolitan Transport Authority (ATM), which performs two independent checks to ensure the license plate is correctly read.

Twenty-four times a year without penalty for all

The measure will affect vehicles without an environmental sticker (0, Eco, C, and B) from outside Girona, since those domiciled in the city until December 31, 2024—the ordinance was approved at the end of last year—will be able to continue entering the low-emission zone without any restrictions. On the other hand, vehicles domiciled in Girona from January 1, 2025, will be subject to the same restrictions as those from outside the city. However, vehicles domiciled outside Girona will also be able to continue entering the low-emission zone up to 24 times a year during restricted hours without having to register anywhere. Vehicles without an environmental sticker from outside Girona that have to enter the low-emission zone beyond the 24 times permitted for everyone else will have to be registered in the Municipal Vehicle Registry of the ZBE and have a temporary authorization to gain access and avoid fines. This application can already be made through a web enabled for these procedures.

In addition, there will be various exemptions, such as for vehicles used for transporting people with reduced mobility (PRM), security forces, emergency services, civil protection, funeral vehicles, etc., and temporary exceptions for vehicles without an environmental label. According to Girona City Council, currently only 5% of vehicles registered in the city do not meet the criteria for circulation in the low-emission zone. The council adds that this 5% figure is decreasing year after year due to the renewal of the vehicles themselves. Vehicles that do not meet the environmental requirements but are still allowed to circulate within the LEZ will not be required to display any type of badge indicating that they are registered in the city of Girona, nor will they be required to place the environmental label on their windows.

Photographic control cameras

At the entrances to the low-emission zone, there will be signs warning of entry and cameras, like those already in place at the Barri Vell, to record the license plates of vehicles entering. "The cameras will capture the license plates of vehicles that have entered, and each entry will be counted. They can do so up to 24 times a year without penalty. After the 25th entry, a fine will be imposed," explains Isaac Sànchez, Councilor for Mobility. The fines will be charged €200, payable by the vehicle owner or the driver if the vehicle is registered in the name of a legal entity. If the fine is paid within the first 20 days of notification, the fine will be €100.

"The goal is to try to improve the city's vehicle fleet to improve air quality and pollutant gas emissions, but the ordinance is in no way intended to raise revenue. Furthermore, as is well known, it is not a measure that we invented in Girona, but rather it obeys a European directive that is binding on all," adds Sánchez, a measure that will be mandatory from January 1, 2026. Beyond having cleaner air – although in Girona it is normally of good quality, according to the records periodically kept by the City Council – the measure also brings other advantages, such as a reduction in noise.

Good quality air in Girona

"Girona does not have poor air quality. It complies with current limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a gas primarily associated with traffic, and which current regulations limit to 40 µg/m3 on an annual average," explains Alba Cabrera, a researcher at the Chemical and Environmental Engineering Laboratory. "Compared to other towns with much heavier traffic, Girona's situation is less critical, but there is always room for improvement. It has been widely proven that air pollution causes respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and traffic is responsible for both NO2 and fine particle emissions. The implementation of the LEZ is an opportunity to further reduce these levels. We can see that when traffic dropped drastically, pollution also immediately decreased. That's why I believe that in Girona the impact will not be traumatic and can be positive for everyone," adds Cabrera.

There is also a European directive that affects cities with more than 20,000 inhabitants that do not have air quality that meets the parameters set by European institutions. In the Girona region, this directive would only affect Olot, but the capital of La Garrotxa is working on the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (PMU) and has already implemented it. Girona will be the third city outside the Barcelona metropolitan area to implement it, after Terrassa began implementing it on May 1st and Lleida on July 1st. In Granollers, everything is ready, but for now, it is only being applied occasionally, during periods of pollution—there is potentially polluting industry in the Vallès Oriental—and they have not yet set a date for its entry into force. In Catalonia, there are around sixty cities that must have their low-emission zones in place by January 1st. 2026.

Vehicles that will be able to circulate: