Spain's low-emission zones survive court challenges as fines keep coming
Ten years of court rulings against Spain's low-emission zones have failed to remove them. Automatic fines continue in Madrid. An electric car won't save you.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
I bought an electric car for the low-emission zone, and the courts keep striking it down
The idea was that an electric car was your passport into central Madrid. Many people believed it. But the low-emission zones (LEZs), challenged in the courts for ten years, remain active and keep fining drivers without the required sticker. The list of legal setbacks keeps growing: Madrid, Barcelona, Gijón, Valencia… and beyond Spain, with rulings banning them in France, Belgium, Italy or Germany. And yet the LEZs are still there.
Ten years of rulings that change nothing
Who actually listens to the courts? In Valencia, a political rather than judicial decision removed the zone. In Madrid, the mayor who promised to scrap it didn't: he expanded it instead. It's drivers from outside the city who pay the price. The system is automatic: cameras photograph number plates, and unpaid fines end up in enforcement with added interest. Residents registered in Madrid are exempt. Everyone else is not.
Pay-per-mile: the next money maker
Meanwhile, the next step is being prepared in the UK: charging per mile driven from 2028, to replace fuel tax revenue. If a government can keep an illegal LEZ running for a decade, what's going to stop it from introducing road pricing?
The person who bought an electric car to enter the LEZ ended up paying for something the courts had already declared illegal. But a fine is still a fine.
The idea was that an electric car was your passport into central Madrid. Many people believed it. But the low-emission zones (LEZs), challenged in the courts for ten years, remain active and keep fining drivers without the required sticker. The list of legal setbacks keeps growing: Madrid, Barcelona, Gijón, Valencia… and beyond Spain, with rulings banning them in France, Belgium, Italy or Germany. And yet the LEZs are still there.
Ten years of rulings that change nothing
Who actually listens to the courts? In Valencia, a political rather than judicial decision removed the zone. In Madrid, the mayor who promised to scrap it didn't: he expanded it instead. It's drivers from outside the city who pay the price. The system is automatic: cameras photograph number plates, and unpaid fines end up in enforcement with added interest. Residents registered in Madrid are exempt. Everyone else is not.
Pay-per-mile: the next money maker
Meanwhile, the next step is being prepared in the UK: charging per mile driven from 2028, to replace fuel tax revenue. If a government can keep an illegal LEZ running for a decade, what's going to stop it from introducing road pricing?
The person who bought an electric car to enter the LEZ ended up paying for something the courts had already declared illegal. But a fine is still a fine.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (14 replies).
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