Copenhagen will test out zero-emission zones from 2023

Petrol and diesel vehicles will be banned from accessing certain areas

It is a well-known fact that the Danish City of Copenhagen is determined to become carbon neutral by 2025. Now, it has unveiled its plans for an important step towards achieving this goal. More specifically, the municipality announced that it will begin trials of zero-emission zones from 2023.

What are zero-emission zones?

A zero-emission zone is one that will only be accessible by electric and hydrogen vehicles. Reducing the number of diesel and petrol cars in the city will have numerous benefits for both residents and the environment; that is, it will guarantee cleaner air and less noise in the area.

According to the Mayor of Technical and Environmental Affairs Ninna Hedeager Olsen, the creation of these zones is a simple and flexible way of reducing pollution. Taking this further, the municipality has decided to test out three flexible categories of zero-emission zones which can all be expanded geographically and to include more types of vehicles.

• Central zero-emission zone: This will cover the Medieval City and all passenger vehicles will be required to comply with the ban on petrol and diesel. There will be exceptions for rescue vehicles and disabled individuals.
• Goods delivery zone: This covers a larger geographical area and may overlap with the previous zone. Moreover, it may be expanded to affect different types of vehicles. In other words, the municipality proposes a ban on diesel and petrol for delivery vans from 2023 and for trucks from 2025.
• Smaller child life zone: As explained by its name, this zone will be much smaller as it will only cover areas with day care institutions and many children. From 2023, all vehicles in these areas must be electric and hydrogen. As with the central-emission zone, there will be exceptions for rescue vehicles and disabled individuals.

The establishment of these zones will undoubtedly make Copenhagen a safer and cleaner city. What is more, it will bring it closer to achieving its goal of becoming carbon neutral.