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full screen The Royal Theater at Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen, which may be included in the zero emission zone. Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix/TT
Copenhagen and Aarhus are expected to be the first when Danish cities can soon establish zero-emission zones, where exhaust cars are prohibited.
The Folketing in the Danish capital voted on Friday that municipalities in the country should be able to introduce the zones, writes the news agency Ritzau. The settlement is based on previous rules on environmental zones where requirements are set on how purified exhaust gases must be. But soon there will be zones where exhaust gas traffic is completely prohibited.
The settlement also states that one of the goals is to increase the proportion of electric cars in Danish traffic.
Copenhagen’s Lord Mayor Sophie Hæstorp (S) states that the zero-emission zone will initially be introduced in Middelalderbyen, a smaller part of the city centre. The size of the zone is comparable to the areas in Stockholm and Gothenburg that are relevant for the same arrangement in Sweden.
However, it is not yet clear exactly when the Danish zones can be introduced – a finished law will not be presented until this autumn.
The goal is then completely emission-free traffic throughout Copenhagen by 2030.
Other European cities, such as Oslo, Paris and London, also have similar plans.