What Happened?
Madrid passed an ordinance that will charge drivers for entering the city’s core with personal vehicles unless they have paid for a spot in an official parking lot. The city wants to reduce traffic congestion in major city hubs to improve safety and livability.
Goal
Under a new rule, people who want to drive into central Madrid will be fined $115 for bringing a personal vehicle into one of the four most populous barrios. Unless the driver lives in one of these neighborhoods being targeted, they will have to purchase a spot in an official parking to avoid being ticketed, CityLab reported.
To keep track of violators, the city has placed cameras at entry points to the four zones to capture the car information that registers and mails a ticket to the owner. The rule applies to 1.36 square miles of central Madrid and may extend outward if the pilot program is successful. Once car traffic has been reduced, Madrid has plans to:
- Pedestrianize the city center by 25 percent
- Increase the number of bus lanes
- Add walker-centric amenities
Madrid officials hope the ticketing system will increase use of public transportation to navigate the city, which hopes to get as close to car-free as possible. Madrid expects the camera and ticketing system will cost $631,000 annually to maintain but offer several benefits such as:
- Improvement in quality of life
- Reduction in pollution-related illness
- Drop in accident-related injury
- Boost in tourism
Madrid’s ancient design and roadways are not ideal for modern traffic, and caters more toward a pedestrianized layout. Thus, the local government has widespread citizen support for the push to reduce driving in the city center and build out walker-friendly amenities, CityLab reported.
Hamburg Plan
Hamburg, Germany, has proposed a plan to eliminate the need for personal cars within 15 to 20 years. The city’s Green Network initiative will build and extend pedestrian and bicyclist paths connecting residents to green space and city amenities without the need for a personal vehicle. The Green Network will cover 40 percent of the city and work to benefit both residents and Hamburg’s resiliency. The goal is to make Hamburg a healthier, more energy-efficient place to live, Inhabitat reported.
Hamburg came to this resolution after recognizing the need to cut carbon emissions for environmental purposes. In the past 60 years, the city’s median temperature has jumped 1.2 degrees Celsius to 9 degrees Celsius, while sea levels rose by 20 centimeters and may increase another 30 centimeters by 2100. Eliminating personal vehicles will lower carbon emissions, and building out green spaces will alleviate flooding during heavy rainfall or storms.
Furthermore, Hamburg hopes to improve the quality of life for its residents. The Green Network wants to make it easy for residents to navigate the city as well as provide opportunities to be active while enjoying the outdoors. For these reasons, the initiative has garnered strong support from local residents, The Guardian reported.
Cars Are Out
Gov1 has reported on a growing trend of local initiatives to cut out the use of personal cars and increase access to public transit and green space.