Luis F. Durán Madrid

Madrid

Updated Sunday, February 4, 2024-17:46

The Association of Vehicles Affected by Environmental Restrictions (Avarm) held a motorized demonstration this Sunday in the center of Madrid, attended by hundreds of vehicles, to

show their rejection of the prohibitions and restrictions of Madrid 360 and

the Safety Zone. Low Emissions included in the Sustainable Mobility Ordinance of the City Council.

Under the motto '

Freedom of movement' and 'No to discrimination'

, hundreds of vehicles - 430 had registered - have marched from the Plaza de las Ventas passing through Plaza de Colón, Paseo de la Castellana, the Emilio Castelar roundabout , Plaza de Cibeles and Calle de Alcalá until returning to Las Ventas again.

They denounce the "discriminatory measures" that in their opinion the city council led by José Luis Martínez-Almeida has imposed with the modification of the Law on Traffic, Circulation of Motor Vehicles and Road Safety.

This means that cars without a label or with environmental classification A are not registered and do not pay the Mechanical Traction Tax in Madrid that access the M-30 or inside it, as well as the Special Low Emission Zones Protection (ZBEDEP), face fines of 200 euros.

In statements to the media before participating in the rally, the president of Avarm, David Harvey, denounced

that the labeling of cars "is fundamentally wrong" because it is carried out based on the license plate.

"It is done by year and not by low emissions."

He explained that it is in the ITV where they have to enable the gases in accordance with European regulations.

"And if there is a car from the year 88 that passes those gases, they should let it circulate

... I have a plug-in hybrid vehicle that has 300 horsepower, it pollutes the most when it gets into gasoline, but I have an ECO sticker, which means "This is a joke."

He has criticized that Madrid is going to

host the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix with vehicles that pollute "truly crazy"

and that do not allow entry to motorcycles and cars of people who come to work.

The organizers

also ask for the cancellation of all fines derived from lack of information,

"null or poor signage", accumulation of files or "poor management in the notification and receipt of fines."

They denounce the impact on families and citizens with lower purchasing power, people with reduced mobility with unadapted unlabeled vehicles, as well as self-employed workers and small businesses.

Ortega Smith in a 600

The Vox spokesperson in the Madrid City Council, Javier Ortega Smith, also attended

the demonstration in a Seat 600

, and criticized the prohibitions and restrictions of Madrid 360, which in his opinion are "a triple lie", legal, environmental and electoral.

"We all remember Almeida when he said in 2019 that Madrid Central was going to be finished with them, and not only was it not finished but it has multiplied by 12, leaving the historic center to cover the entire city, harming the most disadvantaged, harming to the people of Madrid, but also to those

thousands of citizens who do not live in Madrid but who come to work in Madrid

," he denounced.

He has assured that Madrid is being "depleted" because the

real objective of Madrid 360 is to become "an authentic and fabulous fundraising machine",

and has opted to raise "the flag of freedom" without restrictions and without discriminating against hundreds of thousands of Spaniards and Madrid residents who cannot move freely.

"We are a green party, from the color of our initials to our way of understanding politics," said the Vox leader, who has assured that neither restrictions nor fines are necessary because the air quality in Madrid "is very good".

Furthermore, he pointed out, these measures restrict the basic freedom of any citizen who cannot buy an electric or hybrid car, and who has an old car that passes the MOT, pays its taxes and has "every right in the world to drive."