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Alcorcón approves a ZBE without restrictions for its residents
Alcorcón is taking the final step to activate its Zona de Bajas Emisiones, but with an important difference compared to other models: residents will still be able to drive and park in the city with any vehicle, whether or not it has an environmental label. The new ordinance goes before the municipal Plenary this Wednesday and aims to comply with the Ley de Cambio Climático without imposing direct restrictions on those who live in the municipality.
The restrictions will focus on the most polluting vehicles that do not belong to residents. In practice, cars without an environmental badge and from outside Alcorcón will be the first affected by the regulations. For them, access, circulation and parking within the ZBE will be subject to conditions, although there will be exceptions and special permits for justified cases.
The perimeter will be broad. The ZBE will cover virtually the whole urban area of Alcorcón as well as neighbourhoods such as Fuente Cisneros and Campodón. Large commercial and industrial areas such as Parque Oeste and Ventorro del Cano will be left out, however, an exclusion that has already drawn criticism from the opposition.
The City Council argues that the measure is designed to reduce the most polluting through-traffic, not to punish residents. That is why temporary, named authorisations are planned for people who need to enter for work, medical, administrative or family reasons. Each permit will be linked to a specific vehicle and must be justified before it is granted.
Implementation will begin with an information phase. There will be no fines during the first six months, allowing the City Council to resolve doubts, adjust the system and give drivers and businesses time to adapt. This is a key detail in a rule that may change everyday habits, especially for people entering Alcorcón from other municipalities in the south and west of Madrid.
PP and Vox reject the model and consider it disproportionate. They also fear that the ZBE will be the first step towards implementing the Servicio de Estacionamiento Regulado, with possible restrictions and payment for parking in different parts of the municipality. For now, the local government insists that the ordinance does not restrict residents’ parking.
The measure comes at a time when many municipalities in the Madrid region are adjusting their own low-emission zones, as required by national regulations. The Comunidad de Madrid notes that these areas restrict access for certain vehicles according to their environmental classification, although each council can design its own model within the legal framework.
For Alcorcón, the challenge will be ensuring that the ZBE is not perceived merely as an administrative obligation. If it works, it should reduce polluting traffic without making life harder for people who depend on a car to work, provide care or get around neighbourhoods with limited transport. If applied badly, it may become another source of tension between residents, businesses and the City Council. The difference will lie in the details: clear permits, simple information and a transition that does not leave anyone discovering the rule when they already have the fine hanging over them.