The Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council has decided not to implement the Residential Priority Area (APR), which was planned for the upcoming September 15th. This decision is based on a report by the Traffic Service concluding that, under current circumstances, the measure is not necessary to achieve environmental and transit objectives and would create technical, administrative, and social complexity without additional benefits. Consequently, the Department of Public Space and Neighborhoods will initiate proceedings to revise the Low Emission Zone (ZBE) Ordinance to remove the APR regulation.
The councilor for Public Space and Neighborhoods, Beatriz Artolazabal, explained that the decision stems from an analysis conducted over recent months. "The implementation of the APR always raised doubts for us. We felt that adding a new regulation to an area where the ZBE had only been operating for about a year could generate significant complexity. Therefore, before making a decision, we wanted to listen to all parties and rely on rigorous technical analysis."
During this process, the City Council held meetings with EH Bildu, the group that proposed the APR's inclusion during the Ordinance's processing, as well as with key affected groups, including representatives from commerce, hospitality, business associations, and professional guilds. The input received, combined with doubts raised by the municipal technical services, led the Department to request a specific report analyzing the measure's advisability.
The report examines the APR's implementation from technical, operational, social, economic, and legal perspectives. Firstly, it warns that the APR would regulate the same area already covered by the ZBE, necessitating coexistence with two distinct access regimes, each with different authorizations, exceptions, and procedures. This duplication would notably increase the administrative burden and complicate public understanding of the system.
The report also highlights the complexity of adapting the ZBE's control and management systems to incorporate a second access regime, multiplying the number of cases, authorizations, and citizen support interactions. The experience from the ZBE's first year of operation already demonstrates the significant informational effort required from citizens to understand the current system.
A central aspect of the report is the analysis of the measure's actual effectiveness. Technicians believe the APR would offer very limited improvement for residents, as through-traffic has been significantly reduced following actions taken in Los Herrán, Portal del Rey, and Nueva Fuera streets, and the implementation of the ZBE itself.
The document also incorporates contributions from merchants, restaurateurs, and business associations, who warn that the APR would hinder economic activity, supply, service provision, and customer access, in addition to increasing administrative burdens for companies and self-employed individuals.
Finally, the report analyzes the measure based on principles of good regulation, concluding that the APR's implementation does not currently meet the criteria of necessity, effectiveness, and proportionality, as sufficient benefits to justify the new restrictions and administrative costs have not been demonstrated.
Consequently, the Department of Public Space and Neighborhoods will initiate the process to revise the ZBE Ordinance, aiming to align its content with the current reality and adapt the text to the technical report's conclusions.
"We do not believe in over-regulation. Every new restriction must be fully justified and provide real benefit to citizens. When objectives are already being met, the responsible approach is to maintain a regulation that is proportionate, effective, and easy for citizens to understand. Experience shows us that the ZBE is meeting its design objectives, and therefore, it is time to adapt the Ordinance to that reality," the councilor concluded.
