Marbella will reinforce the signage of the Low Emission Zone, but without fines

The Marbella City Council will reinforce the signage of the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) with new informative plaques in the Old Town without imposing fines, as well as plans to tender "shortly" the installation of air quality monitoring stations which will later allow the creation of an ordinance to regulate this more decarbonized area, as announced this Tuesday by the municipal spokesperson, Félix Romero.

This was made known by the councilor of Transportation after the Local Government Board meeting, where the measure was discussed, highlighting that the establishment of the LEZ is still in an initial phase, after its provisional approval in October 2023.

The spokesperson emphasized that the establishment of the LEZ is provisional until "the definitive implementation with an ordinance" in a second phase, hence he reminded that "it does not carry associated fines," without determining yet when the fines will start to be imposed. At this point, he clarified that there is "an obligation to inform by the agents and an intimation by the City Council for voluntary compliance to occur."

Romero pointed out that “the informative plaques will be more visible and more evident in those access zones,” which will start to be installed next week in 3 phases, with a period set for each of them of 2 weeks, so the Council's forecast is to finish the action during the summer.

Specifically, the first phase for the installation of new informative plaques in the Old Town of Marbella will take place on streets Benalmádena, Juan de la Rosa square, and Huerta Chica; the second on San Francisco, Postigo, Atarazanas, and the connection with Juan Alameda; while the third will focus on the surroundings of the Castle. Subsequently, the measure will also be implemented in the San Pedro area.

“It is evident that the first phase is the signage, which has to be made much clearer and more pronounced by the City Council, of those informative plaques that have to be established at the entrances to each of the areas where access is restricted,” he detailed.

Tender for stations to measure air quality

The implementation of the LEZ involves the tender for the installation of stations to measure air quality, which must be installed before the municipal ordinance is approved, as “information is needed to be able to apply it” and to have instruments that allow “activating” this more decarbonized space depending on pollution.

The councilor of Transportation highlighted that the approval of a definitive ordinance that regulates the implementation of the LEZ is a “priority,” along with the sustainable urban mobility plan, a legal norm that “will be based on air quality.”

In this regard, Romero advanced that the contracting of the project for the implementation of the LEZ is expected “in a couple of months,” a document prior to the ordinance that will have a technical nature, so the idea is to have the legal instrument “if not by the end of this year, by mid-2026.”

Concurrently, the installation of 4 sensors for air measurement in Marbella and San Pedro must be tendered, with the initial idea of the Council to implement them in the first quarter of 2025, although the councilor specified that “the contracting is pending” as the auditor has to resolve “the doubt whether they are a supply or a service,” so he estimated that “a resolution can be very soon.”

Thus, he indicated that the forecast is to open a public tender for the installation of air quality monitoring stations “shortly,” which “will allow through panels not only the City Council to have knowledge of the level of pollution at any given time, but also the citizens and the Local Police agents who are on the street.”

Initially, the Council considers the location of these stations for air measurement around the market perimeter, in Los llanos de San Ramón, in the northern area of Trapiche-Miraflores, and in the boulevard of San Pedro Alcántara, although he noted that the location of these sensors needs to be specified.

School and university transport

In another matter, the councilor reported that the City Council will open on August 4 the application period for school and university transport for the next academic year, which will have 700 available spots for the 14 routes.

As detailed, the rate for the university service will be 640 euros for one child, 861 euros for 2, and 1,280 euros for 3 children, while for the fleet going to schools it will be 321, 481, and 642 euros, respectively, in the urban area and 255, 375, and 510 euros for the periphery.