By 2030, car traffic in Stockholm should decrease by 30 %, compared to 2017 levels. The first step is a zone in the central parts of Stockholm, where only electric cars and some gas cars will be allowed.
Since the Swedish election in September of this year, there is a change of power in Stockholm. The Social Democrats, the Left Party and the Green Party will set the agenda for the next coming four years in the Swedish capital.
The focus is to decrease the number of cars in the inner city and make space for walking, biking and public transport. The plan is also to include more green areas in the city.
– Stockholm will become a green walking city and Europe’s foremost cycling city, and we will make sure that the buses arrive faster and create space for things that Stockholmers are asking for, such as more trees and greenery. We will make Stockholm a city for people, said Åsa Lindhagen, who is one of the Green Party’s new city councillors in Stockholm, in an article.
The first step, which is the implementation of class 3 environmental zone, will start in 2024 and be fully implemented in 2026.
Thousands of deaths by air pollution every year
In Sweden, about 6700 deaths are caused by air pollution every year, according to a new study. The highest rates are found in the bigger cities and the south of Sweden.
– Every year, a thousand Stockholmers die prematurely from air pollution. We have to take responsibility for that. We have to change society and we have to make it easy for people to take public transport, cycle or drive an electric car, Åsa Lindhagen concludes.
Explore Swedish sustainable transportation here.
Sources:
Study – Air pollution in Sweden
Article (DI) – Only electric cars in Stockholm city (in Swedish)
