Riga is discussing low-emission zone restrictions

Riga plans to introduce a low-emission zone to reduce air pollution and improve the city’s sustainable mobility. This initiative will have a significant impact on businesses engaged in transportation, delivery, and logistics — especially those with large fleets or those supplying supermarkets.

Publication: delfi.lv

When planning the introduction of the low-emission zone, Riga has taken into account air quality monitoring results, which show significant exceedances of pollutant norms. The Riga City Council will analyze medium-term air quality targets and assess the share of internal combustion engine vehicles in Riga and the surrounding area by modeling traffic flows and air quality.

To ensure monitoring and enforcement, cameras with automatic license plate recognition will be introduced. This technology will make it possible to track vehicle movements in the low-emission zone and prevent non-compliant vehicles from entering. A report on alternative scenarios is expected to be developed by this autumn and approved by the Riga City Council. By the end of 2026, an action plan will be prepared, and by the end of 2027, Riga’s low-emission zone is scheduled to become operational.

Viesturs Zeps, Chairman of the Riga City Council’s Housing and Environment Committee, emphasizes: “The creation of Riga’s low-emission zone is an essential step in the city’s modernization and in promoting sustainable mobility. To meet the European Union’s air quality requirements and reduce emissions, strategic mobility improvements are needed. This will affect travel habits in Riga, so it is important to analyze different scenarios to ensure that when the zone is established in one area, emissions do not increase in another.”

Tālivaldis Vectirāns, Director of the Road Infrastructure Department at the Ministry of Transport, explains: “There are 284,000 vehicles registered in Riga, accounting for 28% of all vehicles registered in Latvia, with a large share of them being high-emission. The total number of electric vehicles in Latvia is 10,856, half of which are located in Riga, but nationwide they represent only 1%. The draft law ‘Road Toll Act’ provides that municipalities will be able to introduce road fees if air pollution levels exceed the set norms or to promote the use of more environmentally friendly vehicles.”

A representative of the Ministry of Transport emphasizes that the road toll will serve as a tool for municipalities to introduce zero- or low-emission zones and to regulate the number of vehicles on specific streets, thereby improving the use of public transport and fostering the development of micromobility.

Armands Gūtmanis, head of the association Latvian Sustainability Cluster, points out that the European Union’s emission reduction directives are binding, and Latvia must ensure the development of alternative fuel infrastructure. He stresses: “Sustainability reports must include a section on supplier-generated emissions, while the transport sector must gradually transition to zero-emission vehicles.”

Latvian Sustainability Cluster head emphasizes that currently there are no dedicated support mechanisms for zero-emission freight transport in Latvia, while other European countries are already actively investing in this area. For example, Sweden plans that by 2030, 50% of new trucks will be electric, while Poland has already developed a large-scale EU-funded support program for zero-emission vehicles.

Kaspars Avots, head of Baltic Hydrogen Group in the Baltics, highlights the challenges and solutions for heavy transport: “Riga is ready to tackle the issue of heavy transport emissions with sustainable solutions, such as hydrogen technologies. Heavy trucks generate more than 30% of road emissions, and the time has come for strategic investments in green energy infrastructure.”

Mārtiņš Stirāns, Kempower representative in the Baltic States, emphasizes that the development of charging infrastructure is a prerequisite for a successful transition to zero-emission transport. He notes: “The development of charging infrastructure is an integral part of a successful transition to zero-emission transport. From the perspective of introducing low-emission zones, supplying retail outlets within such zones should not create excessive problems, since medium-sized electric delivery vans can be used for supplying stores in the center of Riga instead of large trucks.”

The webinar featured:

• Viesturs Zeps, Chairman of the Housing and Environment Committee, Riga City Council

• Tālivaldis Vectirāns, Director of the Road Infrastructure Department, Ministry of Transport

• Kaspars Avots, Head of Baltic Hydrogen Group in the Baltic States

• Mārtiņš Stirāns, Representative of Kempower in the Baltic States

  
  

Many thanks to all participants and speakers for sharing such valuable insights!