Stockholm’s ban on ICE vehicles from its city center is good, but just not enough

This week, Stockholm announced plans to become the first large capital city to put an all-out ban on petrol and diesel vehicles from a 20-block commercial and financial district in its center, all in a move to reduce air pollution and engine noise. Sure, dedicating a slice of the city to pedestrians, cyclists, and electric vehicles is excellent news, but the zone is only 180,000 square meters, and residents will have to wait until 2025 before the dream is realized – and even longer before governmental officials consider expanding the zone farther out.

True, Stockholm is going much further in its restrictions than any other major city. Paris, Madrid, and Athens have banned diesel cars in order to slash air pollution. London unrolled a more ambitious plan recently to all its boroughs, the “ultra-low emission zones,” in which non-compliant vehicles pay a relatively hefty daily fee within the city.

“Stockholm’s model is more far-reaching. Petrol and diesel cars are prohibited, period,” traffic councilor and MP Lars Strömgren told Air Quality News. “It is more ‘ultra’ than the ultra-low emission zone of London. We have chosen an area where large numbers of cyclists and pedestrians are exposed to unhealthy air on a daily basis. It is also a part of the city that is home to forward-thinking companies that are keen to lead the transition to a more sustainable future.”

According to the rules, some hybrid trucks and fuel-cell vehicles can access the new zone, as well as ambulances, police vehicles, and vehicles in which the driver has a documented disability.

The new ICE car ban includes streets in the area within Kungsgatan, Birger Jarlsgatan, Hamngatan, and Sveavägen – commercial areas that require a lot of delivery truck traffic, so it’s easy to envision how much cleaner and quieter things will become.

Since the announcement of the new measures on Tuesday, political parties (no surprise) have been taking sides, with Swedish Moderates arguing that this measure, put in place by the Green party, is turning their city into an “experimental workshop,” and that the best way to reduce air pollution is to incentivize EVs for everyone by boosting the number of charging points and offering special deals on parking for electric cars.

Electrek’s Take

While it’s a drop in the bucket, limiting a dense, polluted financial and commercial district to EVs only is a good start – and it all goes toward the ultimate goal of transforming the city into a green walking and cycling utopia, not one built for personal cars of any variety. Think: “Outdoor seating with plenty of space for walking and cycling,” envisions traffic councilor and MP Lars Strömgren. “In Stockholm, everyone should be able to breathe the air without getting sick.” At least that is the plan on the table from Sweden’s Green Party (Miljöpartiet), which is aiming for a city center that is totally free of emissions by 2030 and a reduction in car traffic by 30% by 2030.

Here’s hoping the measure will inspire other cities to do the same thing, on a bigger scale, and sooner rather than later.