British tourists have been issued an urgent warning as an incredibly popular Spanish holiday hotspot announced new traffic laws.
Alicante launched its new Low Emission Zone (ZBE) on Friday, which could land motorists with fines for not abiding by the rules.
This move has been in the works for two years but was passed by the council only on the last day of January.
Currently, the Old Town will be under the same restrictions as before, but has also been reclassified as ZBE Zone 1, The Olive Press reports.
The types of vehicles that can enter Zone 1 have also been expanded to include people who work in the area. This is also the only zone where fines can be handed out.
The council created a new Zone 2 to encompass the “traditional centre” of Alicante, and Zone 3 to cover Gran Via – which will continue to allow the same vehicles as before. There are currently no extra fines for motorists in Zone 2 or 3.
The ZBE is currently described as “flexible”, however new temporary measures could be introduced if there is too much pollution in the future, such as banning high-emission vehicles.
The council spend a staggering €4.4 (£3.7) million to install enforcement cameras and screens to display information regarding the ZBE.
There is now a network of 70 licence plate-reading cameras, connected via fibre optic cables, but the city has the capacity for up to 300.
Alicante also now has 14 air quality monitors and nanosensors to check pollution levels in the event that extra laws or bans need to be enforced.
In 2023, it was reported that areas of the Alicante province could lose vital European funding if they did not introduce ZBEs to reduce air pollution and promote public transport.
This included Alicante City, Benidorm, Elche, Torrevieja, Alcoy, and Elda, which receive €44million (£37m) in European funds between them.
