Stockholm to ban gasoline and diesel cars from downtown commercial area in 2025
An official says a ban on gasoline and diesel-fueled cars from a commercial district of Stockholm’s downtown in 2025 will be the first for a European capital
STOCKHOLM — A ban on gasoline and diesel-fueled cars from a commercial district of Stockholm's downtown in 2025 will be the first for a European capital, a city official said Thursday.
The ban will take effect in a 20-block area of shops, pedestrian walkways and a few homes in order to curb pollution, reduce noise and encourage use of electric vehicles said Lars Strömgren, the city council member for the Greens who's in charge of the Swedish capital's transportation.
Many European capitals have restrictions on gasoline and diesel cars, but Strömgren says Stockholm’s complete ban would be a first.
“We need to eliminate the harmful exhaust gases from (gasoline) and diesel cars. That’s why we are introducing the most ambitious low-emission zone to date,” Strömgren told The Associated Press. The idea is to create an «environmental zone” where only electric vehicles will be allowed. There will be some exceptions such as for emergency vehicles and transportation for the disabled.
In its budget for 2024, the left-leaning, environmentally-focused city council on Tuesday unveiled the plan for the target area just north of the city’s famed Old Town. The municipal government controls a majority in the council, so the vote set for Nov. 23 is expected to be a formality.
“We are pretty proud, I must say,” Strömgren said, adding that gradual expansion of the environmental zone would be decided in the first half of 2025.
One of the city’s main cab companies, Taxi Stockholm, said its transition to emission-free vehicles is moving at a fast pace. The company’s acting chief
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