The Katowice authorities are to introduce a clean transport zone

The authorities of Katowice are to introduce a clean transport zone (SCT), in accordance with the requirements of the European Commission, which has referred Poland to the Court of Justice of the EU in connection with exceeding the limits of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the air.

Representatives of the Katowice city hall announced on Wednesday that, in accordance with the EC's position, they were obliged to introduce SCT. They also pointed out that The Commission's decision is based on historical data and current results do not indicate exceedances of the permissible level for NO2 in Katowice.

In November, the EC announced that it had referred Poland to the Court of Justice of the EU for exceeding the level of nitrogen dioxide specified in the Air Quality Directive. The EC noted that in the Krakow agglomeration and the Upper Silesian agglomeration, NO2 levels exceeded the permissible values ​​for 15 and 14 years, respectively. “Despite this persistent and systematic violation of standards, Poland failed to take appropriate action,” the Commission said. The complaint to the CJEU is the last step of the European Commission in the procedure for infringement of EU law, which was launched in 2016.

As the Katowice local government recalled, in this city there is one of the 18 stations of the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection in the country, which monitor air quality. Until March this year this station was located next to the A4 motorway – one of the busiest transit arteries in Poland. “The measurement of nitrogen oxides in this place indicated exceedances for the entire Upper Silesian agglomeration, but clean transport zones do not apply to highways, and the results from this location could not be treated as reliable for assessing the validity of implementing SCT on urban roads,” the city emphasized.

A few months ago, in agreement with the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection, the station was moved to another part of the city, to ul. Duda-Gracza, about which the Ministry of Climate and Environment was also notified. In a letter to the ministry, officials explained that the previous location did not reflect the actual level of air quality in Katowice. “For the following months, the city did not receive any response from the ministry, which was interpreted as no objections to the arguments presented and the corrections made,” the Katowice City Hall reported.

Meanwhile, the Katowice city hall received a letter dated December 1 this year. a letter in which – in accordance with the interpretation of the Ministry of Environmental Protection – it was indicated that the location of the measurement point does not exempt from the obligation to create an SCT, and the introduction of such a zone is crucial for the payment of funds from the KPO for Poland.

“In light of these events, the city was obliged to take actions aimed at creating a Clean Transport Zone in Katowice – the resolution of intent on this matter will be put to a vote by councilors at the next session of the City Council,” officials said.

The city has already started analytical work aimed at preparing SCT assumptions, presenting variants that will reduce the nuisance for residents, ensuring compliance with the requirements of the European Commission and Polish law, and conducting public consultations.

According to the local government current results do not indicate exceedances of the permissible level for NO2 in Katowice, nevertheless the EC assesses the situation according to data from 2024 and expects Polish cities to implement additional actions, including the creation of SCTs. Officials recalled that SCTs were included in Polish law as a mandatory element of air protection plans for agglomerations in which exceedances were recorded, and the EC expects full compliance and implementation of the actions indicated in the air protection plans – regardless of the current measurement results.

“The city of Katowice, as an entity operating under national and EU law, is obliged to implement these requirements. The city ensures that all activities will be carried out in such a way as – as always – to protect the interests of residents as best as possible, taking care of both the quality of air and the comfort of everyday life,” said the authorities of Katowice.

Local government officials reminded that their city has been taking steps to improve air quality for years – this includes replacing heat sources, investing in public transport, creating green spaces and an intelligent traffic management system. The relocation of the measurement station and current results confirm that these activities are bringing results, e.g. over the last fourteen years, the amount of PM10 suspended dust in Katowice's air has decreased by more than half – they added. (PAP)

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