With the entry into force of European and national regulations on Low Emission Zones (LEZ), which require cities to restrict access to more polluting vehicles, technology has become an indispensable ally. Although the policies set the guidelines for the creation of these zones, real success in their implementation depends on the integration of advanced technological solutions such as automatic license plate recognition (LPR) and intelligent video surveillance.
LEZs started in 1996 in Stockholm and have been gaining in popularity over the last decade. This regulation is driven by the 2008 EU Air Quality Directive and the Dieselgate scandal of 2015. There are currently more than 300 LEZs in Europe.
In Spain, Law 7/2021 on climate change and energy transition requires municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants to establish LEZs. These zones restrict vehicle access, circulation and parking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The aim is to achieve measurable emissions reductions by 2030 and a CO₂ emission-free vehicle fleet by 2050, in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The license plate recognition (LPR) system of the SCATI VISION video surveillance platform automatically identifies and registers the number plates of vehicles entering the LEZs, verifying against government databases whether they comply with emissions regulations. This process is fast and automated, reducing the need for human intervention and improving control accuracy.
In this sense, the SCATI VMS allows real-time alerts to be received for vehicles attempting to access the LEZs without the appropriate environmental badge, or with one that does not allow them to enter, facilitating an immediate response to infringements and ensuring compliance with the regulations.
LPR systems not only read license plates. By integrating with real-time traffic management platforms, they provide valuable information on the real-time traffic conditions. This allows traffic patterns to be interpreted, detect anomalies and predict congestion, ensuring fair and efficient enforcement of restrictions.
Using our SCATI RECKON Business Intelligence tool, it is possible to aggregate detailed traffic flow statistics into dashboards, providing a comprehensive analysis of urban mobility and the effectiveness of LEZs, transforming the data into useful information for decision making.
In addition, these platforms can generate detailed reports on environmental impact and mobility, optimizing zone design, identifying trends and improving air quality over time.
For example, Barcelona’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ) was implemented in January 2020 with the aim of reducing pollution in the city. This measure bans the circulation of more polluting vehicles, such as diesel before 2006 and petrol before 2000. Although the rule is of a general nature, there are small exceptions in which the free circulation of vehicles such as vehicles dedicated to the transport of persons with reduced mobility (VPMR), temporary activity authorizations, vehicles with foreign registration, etc. are allowed. It is important that all exempted vehicles are registered with the Barcelona City Council and have been granted preferential treatment. Otherwise, they will not be allowed to circulate and if they do, they will be sanctioned.
The LEZ cover the whole centre of the capital between the Ronda del Litoral and the Ronda de Dalt (not including these) and four municipalities: Cornellà de Llobregat, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Sant Adrià de Besòs and Esplugues de Llobregat.
The period of restrictions runs from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Friday, and is monitored by more than 100 cameras distributed in more than 60 different points.
Key benefits
- Automation and efficiency: automated control reduces human intervention and allows for immediate response to violations.
- Traffic optimization: the combination of LPR data and intelligent analysis avoids congestion and improves vehicle flow in and around the LEZs.
- Real-time environmental monitoring: integrated cameras and sensors facilitate continuous assessment of environmental impact.
- Road safety: cameras detect dangerous behavior, improving urban safety.
In short, the combination of LPR and smart video surveillance not only ensures the monitoring of LEZs, but also provides more efficient, flexible and adaptive management, contributing to the reduction of emissions and the improvement of urban air quality. Systems such as SCATI SENTRY and SCATI RECKON reinforce this work, offering advanced technological solutions that maximize efficiency in the management of LEZs and traffic control, ensuring that cities align with environmental objectives in an effective and sustainable manner.