Traffic in Barcelona. Source: pxhere.
The Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC) has developed the Guide for Air Quality Measures on Road Traffic for the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. This document will help identify, assess, and implement measures to reduce air pollution from road traffic, with special emphasis on their integration into Air Quality Improvement Plans (PMCA) and the design of Low Emission Zones (ZBE).
The guide highlights that road traffic remains the main source of NO₂ and PMx levels in urban environments, and that progress achieved through previous policies (Plan MOVES, PNCCA, Law 7/2021) may be insufficient to meet new objectives. It also examines the coherence between mobility and urban planning policies —including the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan, the Spanish Urban Agenda, and the State Cycling Strategy— and stresses the need for a metropolitan approach, given that urban pollution is strongly influenced by intermunicipal commuting.
“The guide we propose contains a set of measures that must be implemented coherently and in an assessable manner, since there is no single solution; it must be adapted to the needs and specificities of each city,” explains Xavier Querol, IDAEA-CSIC researcher and co-author of the guide.
The guide presents strategies to reduce emissions from road traffic, structured into five major blocks to be applied synergistically and adapted to the local context:
- Improvement of public transport, encouraging its use, and optimizing and expanding metropolitan networks, prioritizing intermodality and high-capacity corridors.
- Traffic regulation and management, including urban access charges, parking restrictions, and prioritising teleworking, thus reducing mandatory mobility.
- Optimization of Urban Freight Distribution (UFD) and on-demand services, such as creating urban microhubs for deliveries, promoting the use of electric vehicles, or prioritizing low-emission taxis and ride-hailing services.
- Other measures related to road traffic, such as street-cleaning programmes and pavement maintenance, capable of reducing up to 10% of road dust.
- Urban redesign, essential for reducing exposure to pollutants, proposing increased distance between traffic lanes and sensitive areas, promoting the 15-minute city model, greening public space through green corridors, and encouraging cycling networks, pedestrian streets and adequate urban furniture.
Querol, X., González, I., Reche, C., Alastuey, A. (2025). Guía para medidas de calidad del aire sobre el tráfico rodado. CSIC – Instituto de Diagnóstico Ambiental y Estudios del Agua (IDAEA). DOI: https://doi.org/10.20350/digitalCSIC/17731
