Cities with populations over 50,000 and island areas face legal requirements to activate Low Emission Zones (ZBE). As municipal elections approach, many cities in the country still have this on their to-do list.
To improve air quality and curb greenhouse gas emissions, the Climate Change Act requires large municipalities, island settlements, and towns with more than 20,000 residents to exceed pollution limits by creating restricted traffic zones in ZBE urban centers, similar to models in Madrid and Barcelona.
These steps should have been in place before 2023. Yet, as the electoral calendar advances and the May 28 vote nears, many cities are described as already late by Carmen Duce, head of mobility at Ecologytas en Acción.
In December 2022, following pressure from environmental groups, the Government issued a royal decree regulating ZBEs, standardizing the areas and offering legal clarity to administrations.
LEZs are designed to reduce road traffic pollution in cities, and the decree gave municipalities with existing similar tools an 18-month transition to align with the new rules.
Experts note that some cities misunderstood the 18-month window as permission to wait for activation, rather than a deadline. Without an enforcement mechanism, city councils may delay action until after elections.
Exceptions include Madrid and Barcelona
Even before the Climate Change Act, two LEZs were already active: Madrid Central, which was renamed Madrid360 by the current administration, and the Barcelona scheme promoted by local authorities to restrict the most polluting vehicles on weekdays. Pamplona has also begun labeling efforts in its mobility strategy.
In Zaragoza, the government approved the Historic District as a temporary ZBE in December.
There is no LEZ in Euskadi yet
The Basque City of Bilbao and neighboring towns are internationally renowned for prioritizing walking and biking, yet they have not committed to a firm activation date for a ZBE this year. Five Basque cities have not set timelines, and San Sebastián has approved leasing the necessary technology without naming specific streets or restrictions yet. The outgoing authorities are expected to finalize details after the May elections.
Environmental advocates are appealing to public sentiment for better air quality and urging the use of European funds that earmark substantial grants to municipalities for mobility programs.
In Murcia, ZBE implementation remains a municipal matter rather than a regional one. The climate law applies to Murcia, Cartagena, Lorca, and Molina de Segura, where the measure is not yet forced but is being considered as part of broader urban mobility planning.
Valencia, the country’s third-largest city, is coordinating with a Mobility Board that includes more than 80 civic groups to plan ZBE implementation, though an active launch is still pending. Many municipalities in the Canary Islands, except one, La Laguna, as well as Logroño, Oviedo, and Gijón, have yet to activate ZBEs.
Across Galicia, Pontevedra stands out with a model that prioritizes pedestrian access while slowing traffic. The broader regional approach is still under construction, and ongoing assessments guide decisions for other cities.
For authorities, clear enforcement remains a critical priority to ensure ZBE adoption translates into measurable air quality improvements and aligns with EU mobility funding allocations.