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| Madrid set to become first European city to scrap low-emissions zone | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Madrid is set to become the first European city to scrap a major urban low-emissions zone after regional polls left a rightwing politician who views 3am traffic jams as part of the city’s cultural identity on the cusp of power. | |
| Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who is expected to become the new Popular party (PP) president of the Madrid region, believes night-time congestion makes the city special and has pledged to reverse a project known as Madrid Central, which has dramatically cut urban pollution. | |
| During the election campaign, Ayuso told El Pais: “I do not think [air pollution] is a reason for enjoyment but it is a sign [of the] identity of our city, that the street is always alive.” | During the election campaign, Ayuso told El Pais: “I do not think [air pollution] is a reason for enjoyment but it is a sign [of the] identity of our city, that the street is always alive.” |
| Pollution is “part of the life in Madrid”, she said, adding that the city’s nightlife “goes hand in hand with traffic jams”. | Pollution is “part of the life in Madrid”, she said, adding that the city’s nightlife “goes hand in hand with traffic jams”. |
| A reversal of the popular Madrid Central system would mark the first time a major European city had turned the clock back on clean air reform. The scheme has attracted the ire of conservatives as a totem of the outgoing Mas Madrid movement and its leftwing leader, Manuela Carmena. The PP’s mayor-in-waiting, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, vowed that his first action would be to “address” Madrid Central. | |
| “It was one of the pillars of our campaign,” he said. The PP would instead prioritise street cleanliness and conservation, he added. | “It was one of the pillars of our campaign,” he said. The PP would instead prioritise street cleanliness and conservation, he added. |
| Greeting the election result on Sunday, Javier Ortega Smith, the secretary-general of Vox, the PP’s prospective far-right coalition partner, said: “Starting tomorrow, Madrid Central is over.” | Greeting the election result on Sunday, Javier Ortega Smith, the secretary-general of Vox, the PP’s prospective far-right coalition partner, said: “Starting tomorrow, Madrid Central is over.” |
| An estimated 30,000 Spaniards die each year due to air pollution, according to the European Environment Agency. | |
| Within a month of its launch last November, Madrid Central had cut urban traffic by up to 24% and nitrogen oxide (NOx) levels by 38%. CO2 emissions also fell by 14%. | Within a month of its launch last November, Madrid Central had cut urban traffic by up to 24% and nitrogen oxide (NOx) levels by 38%. CO2 emissions also fell by 14%. |
| Pollution tests around the city’s central Plaza del Carmen station last month found that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels had plunged by almost 50% compared to 2018, reaching their lowest point since 2012. | |
| Nuria Blázquez-Sánchez, a spokeswoman for the Ecologists in Action campaign group, said: “Madrid Central has improved air quality even more than expected. City centre residents are happy with the LEZ [low-emissions zone] and voted massively for Manuela Carmena. | |
| “Reversing such a successful project will have severe consequences for public health, particularly the health of vulnerable people like children, pregnant women and the elderly.” | “Reversing such a successful project will have severe consequences for public health, particularly the health of vulnerable people like children, pregnant women and the elderly.” |
| Carmena is a popular figure and Mas Madrid emerged the largest single party from the polls, but without a governing majority. | Carmena is a popular figure and Mas Madrid emerged the largest single party from the polls, but without a governing majority. |
| The centre-right Ciudadanos says it will not talk to Vox, but is thought likely to join a de facto coalition if an accommodation between the extreme right party and the PP emerges from post-election haggling. | The centre-right Ciudadanos says it will not talk to Vox, but is thought likely to join a de facto coalition if an accommodation between the extreme right party and the PP emerges from post-election haggling. |
| Even then, dismantling Madrid Central may be a complicated affair, with environmentalists mounting a rearguard defence of the pollution measure in the city council and courts of law. | Even then, dismantling Madrid Central may be a complicated affair, with environmentalists mounting a rearguard defence of the pollution measure in the city council and courts of law. |
| The LEZ was introduced after the European commission threatened Spain with legal action unless it complied with the air quality directive. | |
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