Improving air
quality in the
Barcelona Metropolitan
Area
The 80
km/h speed
limit has led
to an estimated
11% reduction
in the two road
pollutants
Air-quality data
released by the
Catalan Department
of the Environment
and Housing indicate
that pollution
levels in the Barcelona
area fell in 2008,
compared to the
previous year.
The
municipalities
in the area have
been applying the
Action Plan For
Improving Air Quality,
as decreed by the
Generalitat (Autonomous
Government of Catalonia)
in July 2007, to
reduce pollution
caused by Nitrogen
Oxide (NO²)
and suspended particles
under ten micrometers
(PM10) in the air
we breathe.
Very close
to European limits
In
the 16 municipalities
that make up the
first ring of the
Barcelona Metropolitan
Area, PM10 air
quality levels
have improved by
13% and NO² levels
by 6% on average
in 2008, compared
to 2007.
The latest pollution
data are close
to the air-quality
levels established
by the European
Union to protect
health and the
environment.
The 80 km/h speed
limit has led to
an estimated 11%
reduction in the
two road pollutants.
In addition, annual
fuel consumption
is down by 30,000
tonnes thanks to
less traffic congestion
and lower petrol
and diesel consumption.
Due
to efforts to
promote goods
transport by rail,
the Barcelona Port
area has seen an
annual reduction
of 3.5 tonnes of
NO² and 3.6
tonnes of PM10.
The
Infrastructure Master
Plan 2001-2010 (PDI)
comprises all the
activities in public
transport infrastructure
for the ten-year
period of 2001-2010
in the Barcelona
metropolitan region,
regardless of the
Administration in
charge and the operator
running the service.
The PDI has the following
features:
