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"Have Low Emission Zones slowed urban traffic recovery after Covid-19?"

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  • Daniel Albalate

    ((GiM-IREA). Observatori d’Anàlisi i Avaluació de Polítiques Públiques. Facultat d’Economia i Empresa. Universitat de Barcelona. Departament d’Econometria Estadística i Economia Aplicada. Secció Polítiques públiques. John Maynard Keynes 1-11, Torre 6, planta 3. 08034 Barcelona. Tel: +34.493031131)

  • Xavier Fageda

    ((GiM-IREA). Observatori d’Anàlisi i Avaluació de Polítiques Públiques. Facultat d’Economia i Empresa. Universitat de Barcelona. Departament d’Econometria Estadística i Economia Aplicada. Secció Polítiques públiques. John Maynard Keynes 1-11, Torre 6, planta 3. 08034 Barcelona. +34.93.4039721)

Abstract

This paper provides a bridge between the literature on the effects of the pandemic on mobility and the literature on low emission zones (LEZ) impacts. Using data for large European cities in the period 2018-2021, we examine whether LEZ may explain differences in the recovery patterns of traffic in European cities after the covid shock. Controlling for several city attributes, we examine whether LEZ cities are less congested before and after the pandemic in comparison to non-LEZ cities. Our hypothesis is that LEZ may have been more effective in reducing congestion after the pandemics because the fleet renewal process has slowed down. Our results validate the traffic mitigating role of LEZ, which is robust to the lasting effects of Covid-19.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Albalate & Xavier Fageda, 2022. ""Have Low Emission Zones slowed urban traffic recovery after Covid-19?"," IREA Working Papers 202222, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised Dec 2022.
    • Handle: RePEc:ira:wpaper:202222
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Low Emission Zones; Congestion; Traffic; Access restrictions; Sustainability; Cities. JEL classification: R41; R11; R52.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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