Warsaw launches Clean Transport Zone
photo: the boundaries of the Warsaw Clean Transport Zone. Source: Warsaw City Hall
In July 2024, Warsaw will introduce a Clean Transport Zone (Strefa Czystego Transportu or SCT), where no polluting vehicles will be allowed to enter. The SCT will cover the city centre of the Polish capital and some of the surrounding areas with a total area of 37 square kilometres, or 7% of the city's total territory. The streets that will pass along the boundary of the new zone will not be subject to the new restrictions. This decision was made by the members of the Warsaw City Council in December 2023.
"This solution is used in hundreds of European cities. Its goal is to improve air quality, which means taking care of the health of each of us. Air quality measurements leave no doubt. Therefore, we must act immediately, because we will suffocate in our cities," said Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, the press service of the city hall reports.
According to him, the positive effect of the introduction of clean zones is confirmed by practical examples of other European cities. In London, the concentration of nitrogen oxides in the air fell by as much as 46%, in Brussels - by 25%, and in Paris - by 23%.
Older cars
A study of vehicle emissions on the streets of Warsaw conducted in autumn 2020 showed that the largest pollution comes from older cars, especially those with diesel engines. Measurements of almost 150,000 vehicles showed that cars manufactured before 2006, although they accounted for only 17% of the total number of vehicles in the city, were responsible for 37% of nitrogen oxide emissions and 52% of dust emissions.
Therefore, the City of Warsaw, concerned about the lives and health of its residents, decided to start working on the Clean Transport Zone. At the end of January 2023, the initial draft of the SCT was presented and a public consultation process was launched at the same time, which lasted three months. More than 3,000 comments were received, and conversations and meetings were held on the proposed solutions. Additional analysis of the proposed changes was also carried out.
photo: the Clean Transport Zone will be introduced in Warsaw in several stages. Source: Warsaw City Hall
Gradual changes
"The SCT is a gradual change that will take years to implement (giving residents time to adapt to it), which will help our city breathe," said Rafał Trzaskowski. This means that the Clean Transport Zone will be implemented in several stages.
Starting from July 2024, diesel cars older than 18 years or petrol cars older than 27 years will not be allowed to drive in the SCT. By the end of 2027, not only residents of the zone will be exempted from the rules in force in the SCT, but also everyone who pays tax and is registered in the capital. The SCT rules will apply to them only from January 2028, when they will not be able to drive diesel cars older than 13 years and petrol cars older than 22 years in the zone. In the case of companies, personal income tax and the company's legal address will be taken into account.
An additional exemption will also be introduced for pensioners (people who will turn 70 by the end of 2023), provided they owned vehicles before the SCT resolution was passed. This means that people over the age of 70 will be exempt from the rules applicable under the SCT indefinitely, subject to certain conditions.
The SCT rules will also not apply to owners of vintage cars.
Control and fines
Approximately 95 per cent of vehicles for which authorisation can be confirmed by accessing the Central Vehicle Register will not be issued with stickers. Stickers will be mandatory for older vehicles that meet the criteria for exemptions (e.g. SCT residents or pensioners who have previously purchased a car).
The planned zone will have a mixed control system - both patrol officers controlling vehicles inside the zone and at its entrances, and an existing camera system (at the entrance to the zone), which can be expanded if necessary.
According to the Code of Minor Offences, those who do not comply with the ban on entering the Clean Transport Zone are subject to a fine of up to PLN 500.