Barcelona to ban 20-year-old cars from 2019

MADRID, March 7 (Xinhua) — The Catalan regional government (Generalitat) will ban cars manufactured before 1997 and trucks and vans built before 1994 from circulating on weekdays in the city of Barcelona from the start of 2019, local media reported Tuesday.
The decision was taken following a meeting between the Generalitat, the Barcelona Town Hall, the Provincial Deputation and local representatives late on Monday night.
That meeting saw an agreement to reduce emissions caused by traffic by 30 percent within the next 15 years and by 10 percent in the next five years, as well as plans to improve the protocols to be put into effect during moments of high air contamination.
Josep Rull, who is responsible for Sustainability for the Generalitat, explained that the current situation meant they had “taken drastic decisions in order to attain tangible and visible results”.
He added there were plans to improve public transport in order to lessen the impact of the proposals and to offer “solid alternatives” at moments of high air pollution.
Among those plans are proposals to allow more flexible working hours for public employees in an attempt to reduce rush hour congestion, with other companies based in Barcelona invited to do likewise.
Recent figures published by ANFAC, the organization representing Spanish car producers, show the average car on Spanish roads is 12 years old, while almost 60 percent of vehicles in use are over ten years old.