MADRID, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Madrid City confirmed on Saturday that it will maintain the first level of the anti-pollution protocol until at least the end of the weekend, keeping speed restrictions of 70 kilometers an hour on the M30 ring road and access roads into the city.
The protocol was activated on Thursday night when levels of over 180 micro-grimes of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) per cubic meter were detected over two consecutive hours in two measuring stations in the Spanish capital.
The City Hall working group on air quality decided that in the face of unfavorable weather conditions, with no rain and little wind predicted, the restrictions would be maintained.
Citizens have been advised to use public transport wherever possible, but with the return to work on Monday expected to again boost contamination levels, it now looks likely that further stages of the protocol could be activated which would first of all see non-residents forbidden from parking within the M30 ring road.
In a further stage, cars will only be allowed to be used on alternate days, depending on whether their license plates end in an odd or even number.
Last week saw the Madrid Town Hall approve a series of measures aimed at reducing air pollution by 25 percent by 2020.
