Policy: Clean air
The days of diesel and petrol cars in Amsterdam are numbered. The City of Amsterdam aims to meet the World Health Organization’s air quality guidelines from 2030. The Clean Air Action Plan sets out the city’s approach.
Clean air, healthy air
Traffic, woodburning stoves, construction vehicles, industry and shipping all emit nitrogen dioxide and particulates, which are harmful to everyone’s heart, lungs and general health. Air quality has improved over the past 10 years, but nine of the city’s main streets still do not meet European standards.
WHO standards
This is going to change. The Clean Air Action Plan sets out measures that will enable Amsterdam to comply with European air quality standards in the short term. But the City of Amsterdam has even greater ambitions. From 2030, the city aims to meet the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), which are twice as strict. The result will be a quieter and more liveable city, and a possible 9% reduction in CO2 emissions.
Four key points
The essence of the approach can be summed up in four points:
- Start at the source: preventing harmful emissions is better and ultimately cheaper than trying to combat them;
- Tackle what is achievable: prevent emissions from traffic, woodburning stoves and mobile equipment such as generators and construction vehicles;
- Deal with the most heavily polluted places first: the city centre has the most air quality blackspots and is the busiest part of the city;
- From corporate to private: business traffic drives the most kilometres and has more possibilities to clean up quicker than residents.
More electric vehicles
Amsterdam is already a frontrunner in the field of electric vehicles, and in the coming years efforts to promote them will be intensified. Residents who buy an electric car can apply for a charging station in their neighbourhood, and depending on supply and demand, the municipality will provide extra charging stations. Charging on private property and in public car parks will become more prevalent. Electric vehicle drivers will have priority for parking and loading spaces. And for residents and companies that switch to electric vehicles, there will be support in the form of advice and/or subsidies.
Zero emissions from 2030
Amsterdam currently has 6 low emission zones, where vehicles that cause the most pollution are banned. These zones will be expanded and the regulations tightened. Increasingly they will become zero-emission zones, where no petrol, diesel or gas vehicles are allowed. The most important milestones will be:
- From 2020, diesel cars with emissions standard 0, 1,2 or 3 engine will no longer be allowed within the A10 ring road;
- From 2022, goods traffic will only be allowed within the A10 ring road with a zero-emission or emissions standard 6 diesel or petrol engine;
- From 2025, only electric scooters and mopeds will be allowed in the built-up area of Amsterdam. Goods and delivery vehicles, taxis, public transport buses and private coaches will only be allowed inside the A10 ring road if they have zero-emission engines. The same goes for passenger and pleasure vessels and public transport ferries;
- From 2030, the entire built-up area of Amsterdam will be emission-free for all forms of transport, including cars and motorbikes.