Pontevedra ensures cleaner air for its citizens
- Low Emission Zone to be introduced by end of 2025
Madrid, September 23, 2025 – With harmful emissions from road transport increasing across Europe, cities need to ensure that their citizens are protected from the negative consequences of congestion, noise and air pollution.
One solution is Low Emission Zones: designated areas in a city or urban region where vehicle access is restricted based on their emission levels.
The municipal government of the Spanish city of Pontevedra has declared the entire city a Restricted Traffic Zone, which has led to a very positive reduction in atmospheric pollutant emission levels. To further reduce unnecessary traffic and move towards the air quality target set by the WHO in 2021, a network of state-of-the-art sensors is being installed. With this measure, Pontevedra will improve air quality and the health of its citizens, contribute to the fight against the climate crisis and improve the modal shift towards other more sustainable means of transport, while also detecting those areas that cannot cope with the average daily traffic intensity or simply cope with it poorly. The information provided by the sensors on all types of mobility in relation to air quality and noise data will enable municipal officials to take the necessary measures to achieve the objectives set out in Pontevedra's SUMP (Sustainability Urban Mobility Plan).
Juan Zamakona, Vice President and Managing Director of Kapsch TrafficCom Iberia, comments: “Pontevedra is taking yet another step to stay ahead when it comes to ensuring mobility and sustainability for its citizens. Low Emission Zones can be a powerful lever to significantly reduce traffic emissions. In London, for example, CO2 pollution has been reduced by 20%, while in Milan a similar measure has resulted in an 18% drop in particulate matter.”
The project includes the supply and installation of traffic cameras, weather stations, pollution sensors, communication systems and software to ensure that traffic managers receive the information they need to continue reducing unnecessary traffic and achieve the air quality standards set by the WHO in 2021. The data provided by the new hardware and software will feed into the EcoTrafix™ traffic management system that the city uses for its mobility management.
Following Madrid and Castelló, Pontevedra is the latest city to introduce a Restricted Traffic Zone, which reduces the emission of polluting gases into the atmosphere, using technology from Kapsch TrafficCom. The project is partly funded by the EU's Next Generation Funds to develop digitalization in cities and has a budget of around EUR 818,000. It is scheduled for completion towards the end of 2025.
Kapsch TrafficCom is a globally renowned provider of transportation solutions for sustainable mobility with successful projects in more than 50 countries. Innovative solutions in the areas of tolling and traffic management contribute to a healthy world without congestion.
With one-stop-shop solutions, the company covers the entire value chain of customers, from components to design and implementation to the operation of systems.
Kapsch TrafficCom, headquartered in Vienna, has subsidiaries and branches in more than 25 countries and is listed in the Prime Market segment of the Vienna Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: KTCG). In its 2024/25 financial year, more than 3,000 employees generated revenues of EUR 530 million.