Stockholm introduces environmental zone class 3 (Miljözon klass 3) in a central area of the city. This means that petrol and diesel cars are prohibited in part of the city. The aim is to tackle the poor air quality.
What is Environment Zone (Miljözoner) in Sweden?
Environmental zone is a measure to improve air quality in areas.
Municipalities can decide that certain vehicles are excluded from particularly environmentally sensitive areas. From 1 January 2020, municipalities can introduce environmental zones class 1, 2 or 3 in their municipality.
Air pollution has been a persistent issue in Stockholm. Research in the field of medicine indicates that children residing near streets in Stockholm with elevated emissions experience a decline in lung function as early as six months of age.
Lars Strömgren, Vice Mayor for Transport and Urban Environment in the City of Stockholm, emphasizes the detrimental effects of poor air quality. It harms the lungs of infants and leads to premature deaths among the elderly. To address this concern, a groundbreaking low-emission zone is being introduced.
Stockholm’s forthcoming low-emission zone will exclusively permit electric cars, gas vehicles adhering to Euro 6 emission standards, and Euro 6 plug-in hybrid heavy vehicles. The zone will be in operation around the clock, seven days a week. Violations are considered punishable traffic offense
The change will take place in stages starting on 31 December 2024. Then environmental zone class 3 will be introduced in an area framed by Kungsgatan, Birger Jarlsgatan, Hamngatan and Sveavägen. Everything within the four streets will belong to the environmental zone. This also applies to the entrance and exit of the Karla Tunnel at Mäster Samuelsgatan. The new environmental zone comprises 20 blocks and covers approximately 180,000 square meters.
The environmental zone will be expanded in a second stage that will be investigated by the city in 2024 and decided in the first half of 2025.
Lars emphasizes that while many cities have established low-emission zones allowing high-emission vehicles to enter upon payment of a fee, Stockholm’s model is far more stringent. It categorically prohibits petrol and diesel cars. This approach exceeds the standards of London’s ultra-low emission zone.