Cameras to control polluting vehicles in Malaga city centre tested ahead of rollout

Cameras that will monitor polluting cars and limit their access in Malaga city centre are being tested.

Two of them have been installed on one of the traffic lights on Calle Pacífico, at the square behind the old Tabacalera. They are in the testing phase and part of the more-than-a-hundred automatic number plate reading devices to be installed in the coming months in Malaga as part of the city’s implementation of its low-emission zone (ZBE), that will limit the circulation of the most polluting vehicles around the city centre.

"These cameras do not control anything right now, they are simply there to test the cameras that will control the ZBE. They have been installed there because they are close to the Mobility department and so are more efficient when it comes to testing, verifying and modifying the systems,” according to the city council.

Once it has been confirmed that they are working correctly, the installation of the rest of the cameras will start. The project was contracted by the council in October last year with a budget of 3.1 million euros, financed by the European Next Generation funds through the Ministry of Transport's aid programme for the implementation of low-emission zones (ZBE).

The zone will cover 50 locations with 97 cameras, one for each lane of traffic entering and exiting this protected zone in order to measure the emissions classification of each vehicle.

The zone will cover an area of 437 hectares, although restrictions will become more stringent as vehicles get closer to the historic centre. The zone goes beyond the Alameda and extends to the whole area of La Malagueta and Monte Sancha, the La Victoria district, El Ejido, Capuchinos, Segalerva, La Trinidad, El Perchel and the area around Avenida de Andalucía. The cameras are expected to be operational by 1 January, 2024.

Different levels

There will be different levels of access to the ZBE. The first level, the one with the most stringent restrictions, will be the inner zone, which includes the old historic town and the Soho area. These areas will only be accessible to authorised vehicles, with exceptions such as vehicles granted permission for loading and unloading, or temporary permits. Access will also be allowed to public car parks.

In the second zone, the outer zone, access will depend on the vehicle's emissions label (DGT sticker), together with the criteria already in place for the inner zone. It is expected measures will be more restrictive on polluting vehicles as time passes.