LEEZEN contribution to the Smart Move High Level Group

LEEZEN contribution to the Smart Move High Level Group Low Emission Zones are one of the key measures to help improve air quality for all who live, work and drive in urban areas. However, vehicle operators need to know where they are. There are LEZs in place or planned in around 1800 towns and cities around Europe, in 10 countries. www.lowemissionzones.eu supports vehicle operators, giving a single, free ‘one-stop-shop’ for information on Low Emission Zones (LEZs) in Europe. Without this service vehicle operators would need to search through hundreds of websites to get the information they need, in 10 different countries and 9 languages. This service can only be provided on a central EU-wide basis. The EU is the obvious body to support this.

We are run on behalf of the LEEZEN Network, which is funded by a group of LEZ authorities together with the EU. However, the EU funding runs out at the beginning of December this year. After December we do not have the funding to continue to provide this valuable service to vehicle operators.

Our www.lowemissionzones.eu website provides: •

All details you need for European LEZs in one place

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Includes maps, emissions standards, vehicles affected, road sign, operational times, penalties, registrations, exemptions...

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User-friendly, clear layout, navigation by maps & menus

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Regularly updated so you can rely on us

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Available in 32 European languages

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Publicly funded with European Commission and public authority support - no commercial bias

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Links to registration or payment where required by the LEZ

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Well known, used & linked to

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‘Quick Guide’, also with buttons for LEZs by coach / lorry / van / car / motorcycle

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Gives the diesel particulate filter retrofits that are certified around Europe

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Background on LEZs

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Available on your mobile phone

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Links to further information from the LEZ authorities

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An alert service for news and reminders of new or tightening LEZs

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and more!

One of the three issues that came out of the ‘IRU workshop on traffic restrictions & low emission zones in Europe’, 2nd March 2011 was to ‘jointly to discuss and agree the need for and harness the support for the “single European window” on traffic restrictions and low emission zones.’, as provided by www.lowemissionzones.eu. It remains a key issue for vehicle operators.

The EU currently part funds the website under the EU Action Plan for Urban Mobility Action 7, Access to green zones’. Funding for www.lowemissionzones.eu is one of the two measures implementing this action and the only one now ongoing. However, the EU would stop all work on Action 7 in December unless funding for www.lowemissionzones.eu is extended. The EU needs to ensure it implements all of its Actions under the Action Plan for Urban Mobility.

Our website is needed, well used and well known, with around 500-700 visitors a day. It has had 350,000 individual users since it started, and over 3 million pages have been viewed. It is linked to by many vehicle operator stakeholders. We are heavily used by coach operators, travel operators, distribution and logistics firms and other professional drivers.

As an example, most of the tourist destinations in northern Italy have bad air pollution and therefore LEZs, which are usually particularly aimed at discouraging private car trips, but also affect coaches with a less strict emissions standard. There is no national co-ordination of LEZs in Italy. www.lowemissionzones.eu enables them to be easily navigated.

Our website currently provides information on LEZs. However, it could be extended to provide other things that stakeholders need.

This valuable resource called for by the IRU and other stakeholders is in danger after December 2012. Further funding, EU or otherwise, is needed for it to continue.

Further details on what the LEEZEN public website www.lowemissionzones.eu and its Network provides: • • • •

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A comprehensive and updated database of all cities operating or confirmed as planning and LEZ. There is full information on LEZs, including maps, exemptions, penalties etc. to assist trip planning.

Translation into 32 languages, including all official EU languages and key surrounding languages.

The website has been designed from the outset to be clear and userfriendly. Detailed information is accessible within 1-2 clicks from the homepage map, as well as from menus.

Overview summaries of all LEZs are available from the ‘quick guide’, also by vehicle type (known by us internally as the ‘IRU buttons’, as they were introduced after feedback from the IRU that they would be useful).

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The website has a general search as well as city A-Z searches.

It has introductory overviews that are also directly translated into a number of key languages in addition to the automatic translation into 32 European languages.

Homepage and country maps to aid route planning and website usage.

Links to city, regional and national LEZ websites for further information are given. The national websites usually link back to the LEEZEN website, as do many of the cities.

Through a weblink, access to all web-based payment or registration for LEZs are given where these exist. This gives payment and registration available from a single source.

A list of retrofits that are valid in the different countries around Europe so that vehicle operators can choose a filter and manufacturer that will give them access to the countries they need.

We work to continually increase the knowledge and use of the website to ensure it helps as many vehicle operators as possible.

We have a good relationship with the many stakeholders, from cities to vehicle operators, needed to make this resource successful.

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The website is regularly updated, to ensure it can be relied upon, a critical part of its usability. The number and emissions standards of LEZs is regularly changing, and our information must be current.

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Information on the background to and the impacts of LEZs, air quality, vehicle emissions standards and retrofits are given to help increase understanding.

Links to further information on air quality are given, including a number of real-time air quality data and EU websites.

Links to LEZ authorities. We have 15 LEZ authority LEEZEN members we work with closely in a working relationship, and many others we work with on an ad-hoc basis. We have contacts for all LEZ authorities.

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If you have any further questions, or we can help you further in any way, please do not hesitate to contact us. Please help us to continue to provide this service to your members and other stakeholders.

Submission by LEEZEN, 24th September 2012.

Contact: Lucy Sadler, LEEZEN, Sadler Consultants Ltd, Am Alten Marstall 2, 79312 Emmendingen, Germany email: Lucy.Sadler@airqualitypolicy.co.uk or comment@lowemissionzones.eu Tel : (+49) (0)7641 - 9375 - 335; Fax: - 334 www.lowemissionzones.eu