Filenews 23 March 2023
Not only will polluting vehicles be prohibited from entering designated roads, but there will also be areas where entry will be allowed but the user of the vehicle will be obliged to pay a special fee to the relevant local authority.
This is at least provided for in a bill which states that areas or roads will be defined, "the use of which will be made only after data collected by the relevant local authority, depending on the specifications of anti-pollution technology and / or the emission limits of carbon dioxide (CO2) of the vehicle with which the use is made, as determined by the Minister of Transport, by his Decree published in the Official Gazette of the Republic".
Under the bill, whose debate begins today before the parliamentary Transport Committee, the Minister of Transport will be given the power to set a date beyond which the registration of polluting vehicles, such as diesels of old specifications, will not be allowed. The same legislation provides for the issuance of Regulations based on which the cameras will "decide" on the traffic violations that drivers will commit.
Specifically, it is provided that "Regulations will be issued by which the violations to be recorded through photo-tagging devices will be determined". The same Regulations determine the procedure to be followed for the purposes of out-of-court settlement of these violations. According to the government, this will resolve policing issues of these measures, which was a requirement of several municipalities in Cyprus, such as the Nicosia Municipality.
The above are included in the bill under the title "The Determination of Special Measures for the Reduction of Air Pollutants and Greenhouse Gases derived from Road Transport Law of 2023". An accompanying text states that road transport in Cyprus is responsible for approximately 50% of greenhouse gas emissions (mainly CO2) in relation to activities not included in the Emissions Trading System (known as "ETS"). This translates to about two million tons per year. Cyprus' goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 24% by the year 2030 (compared to the year 2005), which will increase in the context of the discussion of the "Fit for 55%" package, up to possibly 32%.
This includes both grant schemes for the purchase of electric vehicles and the scheme for the withdrawal of polluting vehicles. Both are part of the Cyprus Recovery and Resilience Plan of tomorrow.
The powers of the Minister for Transport
With the approval of the bill, the Minister of Transport, after consulting the relevant Local Government Authority, will be able to define measures, such as the following:
>> The designation of low- or zero-emission areas or pathways.
>> Prohibiting, in specific areas or roads or on specific days and times, the movement of polluting vehicles.
>> Setting a date beyond which the registration of polluting vehicles (e.g. diesel vehicles of old specifications) will not be allowed.
>> The definition of bus lanes.
>> The definition of transport activities, which will be carried out exclusively with electric vehicles, e.g. the delivery service. (Especially this provision will have a cost to the companies delivering commercial products, which will be obliged to replace at least part of its fleet in order to deliver their products).
>> Setting requirements for the inclusion, in advertisements or other ways of promoting the purchase or use of conventionally fuelled vehicles, of messages promoting alternative modes of transport, such as walking, cycling and the use of public passenger transport.
It is noted that the provisions of the Decrees issued on the basis of the promoted Law do not apply to the Police, the Armed Forces, the Civil Defence, the Fire Brigade, the ambulance vehicles and the service vehicles of the relevant local Authority, when the movement takes place as a consequence of their mission.
Drivers, in addition to having to comply with the decrees, must also obey the supervisors appointed to implement the legislation. As stated in the bill, "a person specifically designated by the Minister of Transport, may stop any vehicle on a road and enter and inspect the vehicle or parked vehicle as well as any documents, licenses, data, books, cargo, equipment or device, carried by the vehicle or located in it or kept by the driver of the vehicle or used by him".
Moreover, "a supervisor or a person specifically designated (under the law) or any police officer, if he finds a violation of the provisions of the Decrees issued, immobilizes the vehicle, denounces the detected violation and instructs the driver of the vehicle to drive it immediately to a point or area where the movement of the vehicle does not involve a violation of the Decrees". The above concerns traffic controls on roads where the entry of polluting vehicles is prohibited.
