The capital of Sweden, Stockholm, will ban the presence of petrol and diesel cars by 2025 in a central 20-block area of the city in order to achieve better air quality.
The city’s vice-mayor for transport and urban environment, Lars Stromgren, said in a statement, “Nowadays the air in Stockholm causes babies to have sick lungs and the elderly to die prematurely. It is a completely unacceptable situation,”
He added that there is a need to “limit the harmful exhaust gases from petrol and diesel cars,”
The 20-block area of the city is a bustling part of Stockholm with a shopping district, office buildings, and eateries. And according to Stromgren, this area “has a lot of pedestrians and cyclists, where the air quality needs to be better,”
“This is also a part of the city where we see that there is a lot of interest in a faster electrification, with actors that can spearhead the transition,” he added.
The ban will come into effect on December 31, 2024. However, police cars, ambulances and other security services will be exempted.
