Do urban parking restrictions and Low Emission Zones encourage a greener mobility?

Abstract

Decreasing air pollution produced by road traffic represents one of the main actions of both national and local governments to improve air quality in urban areas. This research explores to what extent measures restricting the use of the private vehicle, such as on-street parking regulations and the implementation of Low Emission Zones encourage the use of environmentally-friendly vehicles and promote a shift towards more sustainable transport modes in the city of Madrid. By calibrating multinomial and ordered regression models, we study how the implemented measures impact individuals' choices. The results indicate that these measures encouraged citizens to switch to more sustainable modes. However, citizens with cleaner vehicles are reluctant to shift to public transport or active modes due to the benefits stemming from the ownership of those vehicles, such as the possibility of enjoying free parking.