The LEZ Valladolid environmental zone
The city of Valladolid is located in the north of Spain, at an elevation of 700 m in the Tierra de Campos plateau about 200 km away from the coastal city of Santander. Valladolid is the capital of the province with the same name. It has around 300,000 inhabitants on an area of approx.198 km². Valladolid is known among others as the city where the famous navigator Christopher Columbus died on 20.05.1506.
The LEZ Valladolid environmental zone, which came into force on 01.02.2017, is a temporary environmental zone and covers the historic city centre.
In the event of air pollution peaks, some specific traffic restrictions are imposed on the main access roads to the city, in order to effectively reduce traffic and pollutants.
The urban LEZ (Low Emission Zone) is also called ZBE (Zona Bajas Emissions) in Spain and is only activated during traffic-related air pollution peaks.
In Valladolid, several pollutants contribute to the activation of air pollution alerts and early warnings. These are nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter (PM10), sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3). When precisely defined limit values are reached, the city authorities issue early warnings and alerts and apply driving bans.
Depending on the duration and intensity of the air pollution peaks, the measures taken by the city are activated following 3 stages.
The current status of access rights to the zone for individual vehicle types and an overview for different weekdays and times can only be viewed in the Green-Zones app.
Table overview of the environmental zone
The three stages of an air pollution peak
In the event of an air pollution peak in the LEZ Valladolid environmental zone, the following three stages shall apply as soon as the measured limit values of the respective pollutants have been exceeded.
In stage 1 of an air pollution peak, the population is informed and warned of the dangers of air pollution.
In stage 2, speed reductions on roads in the historic centre are imposed, public transport is reinforced and given priority on lanes, and the cost of road tolls to enter the city centre is increased.
In stage 3, in addition to the measures of stage 2, speed reductions of 20-30 km/h are imposed on all roads and the prices for public transport will be reduced to 1 € or 0 € between 7-9 am and 2-4 pm. In addition, driving bans are imposed on all vehicle types that do not have a Distintivo Ambiental of class 0 or Eco, in the environmental zone of the historic city centre and on all ring and access roads.
The ring and access roads to Valladolid which may be subject to driving bans: VA-11/National 122; A-601/Autovfa Segovia; VP-9801/Camino Viejo de Simancas/Camino; N-620/Avenida de Salamanca; A-62; VP-5801; A-60/Avenida Gijon; VA-900/Fuensaldafia Autobahn; N-620/Carretera Burgos; VA-20/Ronda Este/Avenida Zamora; VA-30/Ronda Exterior; VA-140/Carretera Renedo; VA-113/Avenida Santander; N-601/Carretera Madrid.