The Bogotá Environment Secretariat announced a draft resolution called Environmental Vehicle Labeling (EVA) to classify the type of vehicles according to the way in which they pollute or emit particulate matter. Initially, it will be a two-year pilot that will start operating from the first quarter of 2023, and its implementation will be with cargo trucks. The measure seeks to improve air quality and reduce the risks of contamination and impact on people’s health.
“In Bogotá and in Colombia, until now, the restriction measures or any incentive to the circulation of vehicles has been taken based on the license plate number. In 2023 we will start with the EVA pilot. The idea for the future that we have is to characterize and classify the vehicles, not by their license plate number, but by how they pollute,” said the Secretary of the Environment, Carolina Urrutia.
The change in technology, the use of natural gas powered vehicles, as well as electrics and hybrids, are alternatives that some carriers have been implementing in the city. Therefore, the District wants to recognize through the EVA those vehicle owners who have opted for these options.
“Until now, the restrictive measures have been made only because of the age of the vehicle, but many people who have an old vehicle has made changes to technologies, improvements, and additives that make them less polluting. For this reason, environmental labeling allows us to really classify them with the real conditions of the vehicle and the consequences of its circulation on the roads of Bogotá,” added Urrutia.
The project, which is part of the Plan Aire 2030, will begin in the first quarter of 2023, with nearly 60,000 cargo trucks. The pilot, which does not contemplate private vehicles for now, will be free, voluntary, will not modify the “Pico y Placa” measure and will not entail sanctions. The trucks will be classified by colors according to the model, technology and amount of emissions they generate.
“The idea is that those who monitor the roads have the ability to easily evaluate that color to find out how much that car contaminates and if it should have any restrictions or not,” commented the Secretary of the Environment.
“In the long term, what we are going to do is that the programs that restrict circulation, for example, of heavy trucks on weekends, are made based on this information. And for that, labeling will be useful for us. In the end, we hope to have a ‘Pico y Placa’ program that is really based on labeling and that the vehicles that have the most restrictions are the ones that most affect the health of Bogota residents through contamination,” concluded Urrutia.
Source: Bogotá Environment Secretariat
