Development of a protocol for the effective creation of Low Emission Zones in Spain

One of the main legislative developments in Spain related to Sustainability, Climate Change and the 2030 Agenda is the transposition of European directives into Royal Decree 1052/2022, which regulates Low Emission Zones (LEZ), immediately applicable in towns with more than 50,000 inhabitants and island territories. In the field related to air quality (AC), this regulation establishes different restrictions that will be monitored to ensure that the limitations on access, circulation and parking of vehicles in the LEZs are really effective. There are many objective criteria that influence the air quality of towns and cities, including census, vehicles, etc. Since there are different morphologies for EPZs (nuclear, point, special, ....) it is relevant to incorporate other criteria that allow a correct selection of the type of zone. In this paper, using AHP methodology, a protocol will be developed to allow municipalities to select the most appropriate type based on the established criteria.