15th March 2017

Prague.tv: Prague is contemplating ban on older cars or toll for driving in the city center in an effort to improve air quality

Prague Town Hall is contemplating banning old cars with high emissions from the wider city center in an effort to improve air quality, Prague.tv wrote. Only cars that are benign to the atmosphere would be permitted. This is one solution Prague city councilors are contemplating in response to the smog situation that developed this winter. Whether the low-emission zones would be in effect all year or just in winter and what the exact boundaries would be are still up for discussion.

Another measure to reduce pollution being considered is a toll for driving in the city center. A new regulatory plan should be completed in September. Smog warnings were issued in Prague several times this winter, and the city had even considered making public transportation free to reduce the number of cars in the center. A smog situation is announced if at least half of the monitoring stations find 100 micrograms of harmful particles per cubic meter for 12 hours, and no decline is foreseen in he next 24 hours. 

Under more severe conditions, some industries can be shut down. The regulation limiting some industry takes effect if at least half of the stations in a region over 12 hours show average concentrations of airborne particles exceeding a limit of 150 micrograms per cubic meter, and the situation is not expected to change for 24 hours. 

Members of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic