Minister Schultz is not in favour of environmental zones, but thinks municipalities are free to decide for themselves whether to introduce environmental zones to keep out old vans and diesel cars. After all, municipalities are allowed to decide for themselves what measures they take against air pollution.
At present, only Utrecht has an environmental zone for vans and passenger cars, but one will also be introduced in Rotterdam from 1 January 2016. Previously, lorries with Euro Class I, II or III diesel engines were already banned from entering Rotterdam’s low-emission zone, but from the new year, certain vans and passenger cars will also be prohibited from driving into the city centre.
Read also: Rotterdam to expand environmental zone in new year
A majority in the Lower House is not in favour of this. The various environmental zones would mainly be a burden for citizens and entrepreneurs who do not know where they are allowed to drive which car or van. The Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment is therefore requested to lift the zones.
However, the minister is not responding to that request. According to the minister, municipalities that stick to their plans for an environmental zone are within their rights. However, she does suggest that municipalities start thinking about smarter solutions to keep out cars that emit a lot of particulate matter. "You can think about different driving routes or referring people to parking facilities faster."
Editorial LogistiekProfs
