MADRID, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Ada Colau, mayor of Barcelona, has said that the city is considering introducing a system of charging the drivers who want to take their vehicles into the center of Spain's second largest city.
Barcelona is already set to introduce a low-emission zone at the start of January 2020 which will limit the entry of vehicles with high levels of emissions into urban areas of the city.
This move aims to reduce air pollution by 15 percent by 2024, but speaking on Catalan TV on Wednesday evening Colau, who has recently returned to office following the May local elections, said more measures could be needed.
She added that the local government was investigating the possibility of introducing a congestion charge similar to that which has existed in London since 2003.
"It's possible that the permanent low emission zone will not be enough, and we will have to look at other measures, such as a charge," said Colau.
She justified the move by saying that poor air quality was a "very serious" health problem, which especially affected children, adding the "public demands it."
Colau also commented that if the local authority does decide to introduce a congestion charge, it would come into effect in July 2020.
The Spanish capital of Madrid does not have a congestion charge, but the city center does have the "Madrid Central" low-emission zone which was established by former Mayor Manuela Carmena at the end of 2018 and which has had a positive effect on air quality in the city.
The incoming local government in Madrid led by the People's Party (PP) has attempted to end the Madrid Central zone, but their efforts were thwarted by court ruling this week which stated that the "protection of the environment should not be governed by political powers."
