A ban on combustion engine vehicles in Stockholm’s city centre has been put on hold, a government agency said Friday, just a month before the ban would come into effect.
The Swedish capital was aiming to become the first city in the world to reserve some 20 blocks of an upmarket shopping district for “zero-emission” vehicles on December 31.
But the region’s County Administrative Board ruled the measure would be put on hold, while appeals from five companies in the area were examined.
The companies have requested that the measure be withdrawn or postponed.
With this zone, the city of Stockholm, led by the Social Democrats and the Green Party, wanted to improve air quality.
“We want the air quality to become better, we want the noise to become less and we also want to create incentives for transport companies and others to when they invest in the next vehicle, choose one that can drive in this area,” Lars Stromgren, the city’s vice-mayor for transport and urban environment, told AFP earlier this week.
After the announcement of the zero-emission zone, transport industry group the Swedish Confederation of Transport Enterprises lamented a rushed process.
In a statement it noted that there are too few buses “that correspond to the requirements on the market.”
Business industry group Swedish Commerce, which represents some 15,000 Swedish businesses, in May appealed the decision to the administrative court — which is still considering the appeal.
According to the group, the introduction of the zone “could lead to job losses and harm our town centres”.
