Four towns in the Baix Llobregat region, Sant Vicenç dels Horts, Molins de Rei, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, and Sant Just Desvern, are introducing Low Emission Zones (ZBEs) in 2026. However, these municipalities, which collectively have around 124,000 residents, plan to delay imposing fines on local residents for non-compliant vehicles.
Sant Vicenç dels Horts has approved an ordinance that will not fine registered residents until 2030, while Sant Feliu de Llobregat will delay fines until 2028. Molins de Rei's municipal government supports a similar moratorium, with an ordinance expected before summer. Sant Just Desvern currently has no moratorium project, but its ordinance is also expected by summer, covering the entire municipal area.
Miguel Comino Haro, Mayor of Sant Vicenç dels Horts, stated that the moratorium was approved because poor air quality is not the fault of local residents. He pointed to major infrastructures like the A-2 and B-23 motorways, along with nearby industrial estates, as primary sources of pollution. Comino also cited a lack of public transport options and the town's complex economic situation as reasons for the delay.
Moratoria Follow Established Pattern
These new moratoria follow a model established by Cerdanyola del Vallès, a metropolitan municipality that introduced similar delays with the approval of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB). Other towns, including Castelldefels and Santa Coloma de Gramenet, have since adopted this approach. The main argument for postponing fines is the inadequacy of public transport to replace restricted private vehicles, particularly in areas where the AMB has not yet taken over transport concessions.
The implementation of ZBEs in towns with populations between 20,000 and 50,000 was mandated by a Catalan decree to begin before 1 January 2026, a deadline that has been missed. The current push by local councils to activate ZBEs is linked to the Spanish government's policy of conditioning state aid for public transport on ZBE implementation. The AMB, for example, receives approximately €52 million in such aid.
An annex from the Generalitat's Directorate General for Climate Change and Environmental Quality, published late last year, also influences the measure. This document identifies municipalities with poor air quality, having exceeded legal pollution limits between 2020 and 2024. Sant Vicenç, Molins de Rei, Sant Feliu, and Sant Just are listed among those with exceedances. However, 24 other towns, despite being legally required to implement ZBEs, are exempt this year because they did not breach pollution limits.
Future Restrictions and Vehicle Impact
Mayor Comino reiterated his support for air quality measures, noting their success around Barcelona's ring roads. However, he stressed the need for coordinated implementation, explaining that Sant Vicenç's moratorium also addresses the fact that it is surrounded by towns without ZBEs, such as Torrelles de Llobregat and Pallejà, making a discontinuous restriction less effective.
The ZBE implementation timeline in Catalonia is closely tied to restrictions on different environmental labels. Currently, only vehicles without an environmental label are banned. The next significant change is expected in January 2028, when Catalan regulations will extend ZBE restrictions to vehicles with a B (yellow) label. The AMB has included this 2028 forecast in its new urban mobility roadmap for 2030.
Barcelona city is expected to lead the introduction of restrictions for yellow-label vehicles after the 2027 municipal elections, similar to how the original ZBE Rondas was implemented across Barcelona, L'Hospitalet, Cornellà, Esplugues de Llobregat, and Sant Adrià de Besòs. The ban on yellow-label vehicles is significant because it affects a large segment of older vehicles in cities. According to data from the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT), vehicles without labels and those with B labels account for more than half of the vehicle fleet in major cities like Barcelona, L'Hospitalet, Terrassa, Badalona, Sabadell, and Mataró.
