Today, Friday, stricter requirements are introduced for the environmental zone on Hornsgatan in central Stockholm. The purpose is to reduce emissions and improve air quality on the busy street. In future, diesel-powered cars, light buses and light trucks registered before 1 September 2015 will no longer be allowed to drive there. Anyone who violates the requirements risks a fine of SEK 1,000.
Juha Sulila who lives in the area is out for a morning walk in light drizzle when DN meets him. He rarely drives a car on Hornsgatan but has read in the newspaper about the new tightening.
– Introducing an environmental zone on just one street does not help much, many people have to drive through the city anyway. If you have an old car, it becomes more complicated and then you have to take detours, which leads to even more emissions, he says.
In the autumn, the city of Stockholm decided that the entire inner city will be free of petrol cars by 2030, the hope is that more people will leave the car at home or drive electrically. But for Juha Sulila, it does not feel worthwhile to spend the money on an electric car.
– I pick up the car in May and use it a lot during the summer, especially when we are going to the country place in Väddö. I see no need for an electric car when I drive so rarely. It is too expensive too, they cost around SEK 400,000, he says.
Iman Kardouss driving taxis often end up on Hornsgatan when he drives customers on Södermalm. He does not know that the tightening will take effect on Friday, but his car still passes Euro 6 requirements.
– It was a long time since there was information about this, it is easy to forget, he says.
Hornsgatan will be the first in Sweden to limit diesel-powered passenger cars according to the requirements for Euro 6. In Gothenburg, Malmö, Mölndal, Uppsala, Helsingborg, Lund and Umeå there are already environmental zones, but there the requirements are in class 1 and limit only heavy vehicles.
Maija Vesterinen sold her petrol car a few years ago precisely so as not to get in trouble when the environmental change became a fact. But then she thought that the tightening would come much earlier.
– It is slow, but it can be good in the long run with several environmental zones. More would be needed. But when you live in the city, you do not have to drive a car, you can get around. And it is far too expensive to buy an electric car, she says.
Facts. This is how you know if your car meets the requirements for Euro 6
On the Swedish Transport Agency’s website, you can find out which emission class your vehicle belongs to. Enter the registration number, click on the Technical Data tab and then on Engine and Environment. The vehicle’s emission class may also be indicated on the registration certificate. If it does not say anything about emission class, you must not drive in an environmental zone. This may, for example, apply to older vehicles.
In some cases, vehicles registered before 2011 or 2015 may also be Euro-classified so that they can drive in the environmental zone.
It is still allowed for all cars to cross Hornsgatan.
Here you can check which emission class your vehicle belongs to.
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