The Local Governing Board of the Torrevieja City Council has given the green light to the final award of the contract to implement the Low Emission Zone (ZBE) in the urban area. This is a project that has been on the table for some time and is now moving forward with a budget of 1.189.213 euros, financed through the European Next Generation-EU funds within the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR).
With this action, the City Council intends regulate vehicle access to the city center, reduce emissions, and improve air quality in a city characterized by heavy traffic and high tourist traffic. The future Low Emission Zone will combine progressive traffic restrictions more polluting with a technological deployment to monitor both mobility and pollution levels in real time.
Contract award and main project objectives
The contract for the implementation of the Low Emission Zone has been awarded to the company Parking and Services SAU (EYSA)for a total amount of €1.189.213 including VAT. The operation falls under Component 1 – Investment 1 of the PRTR, which promotes projects in sustainable urban mobility in Spain using Next Generation-EU funds.
The central objective of the initiative is the creation of a low-emission perimeter around the city center, where access for the most polluting vehicles will be gradually restricted. The idea is to reduce congestion, lower the presence of harmful gases, and promote a healthier, safer, and more pedestrian-friendly urban environment.
This action responds to the legal obligation as set by the Climate Change and Energy Transition Law for cities with more than 50.000 inhabitants, which must have a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) from 2023. Torrevieja, like other Spanish municipalities, has arrived somewhat late to this deadline, but the City Council considers that this contract represents a key step to catch up and align itself with state and European guidelines.
The city also faces a specific reality: high traffic density and strong tourist pressureespecially during peak season. The future Low Emission Zone (LEZ) aims to adapt to this context, regulating vehicle access to the city center without completely blocking economic activity or the daily lives of residents and visitors.
Which vehicles will be allowed access and how will the restrictions be applied?
Although the City Council still needs to finalize the fine print of the regulation, the outline of the The Low Emission Zone will follow the general guidelines established by the Spanish regulationsIn these types of areas, access is not prohibited to all cars, but priority is given to the entry of the least polluting vehicles.
In practice, restrictions usually focus on Older cars and vans without a DGT environmental stickerWhile Vehicles with labels 0, ECO, C or B They can circulate with greater flexibility, although subject to possible time conditions, occupancy criteria or specific exceptions set by each municipality.
They are also usually considered Exceptions for residents, garages, delivery services, emergencies or people with reduced mobilityaspects that will need to be specified in the municipal ordinances of TorreviejaThe implementation of the Low Emission Zone will be accompanied by specific signage and information campaigns to clarify who can enter, at what times and with what requirements.
The city council's intention is that the new system will contribute to reclaim public space and promote more sustainable means of transport —such as walking, cycling or public transport—, while still attending to the needs of commercial activity and residents of the center.
Technological deployment to control traffic and air quality
One of the fundamental pieces of the project is the extensive technological deployment planned to manage the ZBEThe design includes everything from license plate reading cameras to environmental sensors and a comprehensive data platform that will allow real-time monitoring of the city's situation.
The plan includes the Installation of LPR cameras (license plate recognition) at the access points to the restricted area. This equipment will allow authorities to know which vehicles enter and exit, check if they comply with the established environmental requirements and, where appropriate, apply the corresponding penalties or manage special permits.
Alongside this, a network will be deployed sensors to measure key pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), particulate matter PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀, carbon monoxide (CO), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂), in addition to recording noise levels. These devices will be distributed at different strategic points in order to obtain representative and comparable data for the entire urban area.
The system will be completed with the installation of a fixed air quality monitoring station and several multiparameter sensors that will provide detailed information on the city's environmental status. All this data will feed into a comprehensive management platform designed to display indicators instantly, generate automatic alerts for incidents, and facilitate decision-making by municipal technical services.
Furthermore, the project envisions the creation of a operational control center as the coordination core of the system, as well as the development of a mobile application so that citizens can consult relevant information, receive alerts and maintain more direct communication with the administration regarding mobility and air quality.
Two implementation phases and 39 control points
The future Low Emission Zone of Torrevieja will be deployed in two successive phaseswith a total of 39 controlled access points distributed throughout the urban area. The distribution has been defined based on traffic density, commercial activity, and the residential configuration of each area.
La The first phase will focus on the urban commercial centerThis area is considered the axis with the highest traffic intensity and pedestrian concentration. In this phase, 13 access control points will be established: to the north, San Pascual Street; to the south, Vistalegre, Libertad, and Juan Aparicio promenades; to the east, Patricio Zammit Street; and to the west, Faleria Avenue and Orihuela Street.
This first perimeter seeks to act where it is recorded more economic activity and a greater presence of pedestriansWith the aim of reducing emissions in the most sensitive areas from a public health perspective, the City Council intends to take a first visible step in regulating traffic in the city center.
Once this first stage is consolidated, the next stage will begin. second phaseThis will expand the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) with a perimeter ring encompassing the rest of the city. This deployment will include 26 new controlled access points, distributed according to the four cardinal directions to complete the circle around the center.
The northern sector includes the streets Bilbao, Santa Trinidad, San José and Maestro Francisco Casanovas; in the south, Gregorio Marañón Avenue along with San Pascual and Ramón y Cajal streets; in the east, María Gil Vallejo, Virgen de la Paloma and Orihuela streets; and in the west, Villa de Madrid and Patricio Zammit streets, the latter acting as a link between both phases of the ZBE.
Implementation deadlines and improvements offered by the successful bidder
The contract sets a first phase of implementation with a maximum term of 15 weeks From the date of formalization, this could be followed by approximately one additional month of preliminary administrative procedures. However, the winning company has offered an improvement consisting of reducing that time by four weeks, which would allow for the commissioning of the technical infrastructure to be brought forward.
Among the additional proposals included in the offer, the following also stand out: 50% reduction in incident response time and the expansion of the technical training program to a minimum of 20 hours for municipal staff. This aims to strengthen the City Council's internal management capacity once the system is operational.
From a political standpoint, the councillor responsible for Traffic and secretary of the Governing Board has avoided setting a firm date for the effective implementation of the restrictions, pointing to a approximate horizon around 2027This estimate will depend both on the execution of the works and the fine-tuning of the system and on the approval of the specific regulations governing vehicle access.
In any case, the combination of a relatively short construction period and the technical improvements committed to by EYSA places the project in a advanced stage compared to other municipalities that are still finalizing the design of their Low Emission Zones or the processing of implementation contracts.
Technology maintenance and SaaS model for three years
Once the implementation is complete, the contract includes a three-year period of comprehensive service in SaaS mode (Software as a Service). This model implies that the winning company not only installs the equipment, but is also responsible for ensuring its continuous operation, connectivity and technological updates throughout the entire period.
The service includes tasks of preventive and corrective maintenanceThis includes constant system monitoring, cloud infrastructure management, and specialized technical support. In this way, the City Council has a flexible tool that can adapt to evolving urban needs and potential changes in environmental or traffic regulations.
The SaaS approach allows the software updates and improvements to the management platform They should be incorporated gradually, without needing to completely overhaul the system. This is especially relevant in a dynamic field like urban mobility, where technological solutions evolve rapidly.
The winning bidder, EYSA, has accumulated experience in parking management, access control and intelligent mobility systems in hundreds of cities and public institutionsincluding major national operators. This track record was one of the key factors considered when entrusting them with the implementation of the Torrevieja Low Emission Zone.
Urban impact, mobility and quality of life
The creation of the Low Emission Zone is integrated into the municipal strategy to move towards a more sustainable and digitized cityIn line with European ecological transition objectives, the City Council hopes that the new traffic regulations will help reduce air and noise pollution, while also improving road safety in areas with high pedestrian traffic.
The performance is also presented as a tool for reclaim public space and redesign street useThis involves reserving more space for pedestrians, bicycles, and public transport, while reducing the pressure of private vehicles in city centers. This reorganization will be accompanied by new signage, information campaigns, and greater transparency in the use of mobility data.
In terms of public health, European and national administrations have long been warning about the effects of NO₂ and particulate matter on the urban populationThe Torrevieja Low Emission Zone (LEZ) aims to help reduce this impact, especially in the busiest areas where residents, tourists and commercial activity converge.
This entire package of measures will put Torrevieja on the path of other Spanish and European cities that have already implemented similar systems, with results that point to a noticeable decrease in pollution levels in restricted areas and a gradual adaptation of the vehicle fleet towards less polluting vehicles.
With the awarding of the contract, the definition of the two phases and the planned technological deployment, Torrevieja faces a new stage in the management of its urban mobility: a more controlled model, with real-time data and clear limits on the most polluting traffic, which seeks to reconcile economic activity, tourism and quality of life for residents and visitors.
