City of Amsterdam plans to ban all petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030

The city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands aims to ban all petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 under its new Clean Air Action Plan. The city council will debate the proposal at the end of this month, followed by a six-week deadline for public comments.

Amsterdam’s Clean Air Action strategy not only envisions a switch to electric transport on every level, including public transit and boats, but also includes unspecified subsidies and exemptions to facilitate the transition to electric vehicles.

The capital city wants to implement the new action plan step by step, starting with tightening the rules for the inner city environmental zone from next year. From 2025 onwards, only zero-emission taxis, scooters, buses, trucks and vans will be allowed to enter the area inside the A10 ring road. From 2030, the plan also includes passenger cars and motorcycles.

“We want cleaner air for all Amsterdam residents. Dirty air is still too often a silent killer,” says Alderman Sharon Dijksma who considers air pollution the fourth most common health risk for city dwellers. “Amsterdammers live an average of one year shorter due to dirty air. We will do everything we can to improve that situation,” Dijksma says.

Similar initiatives are underway in other cities such as Paris and London.