Amsterdam has decided to ban all polluting traffic from a large part of the city center. From 2025, only emission-free vehicles – cabs, vans, trucks, scooters, motorbikes, and boats, running on electricity or hydrogen – will be allowed.

The Netherlands’s capital and most populous city will introduce this measure to improve the air quality and reduce the noise in the city. It concerns vehicles newly registered as of 2025, and the rule will not apply to passenger cars. For the time being, people can just enter the city with their gasoline and (not too old) diesel passenger cars.

The emission-free zones will apply to taxis, vans, and trucks within the A10 beltway, motorbikes within built-up areas, and pleasure cruising in the central area.

Life expectancy

According to the municipality, transitional arrangements will be made for existing vehicles and vessels. Later, the city will also promote cleaner coaches, mobile equipment, and less air pollution from burning wood.

Amsterdam already has an environmental zone for passenger cars, vans, trucks, buses, taxis, and motorbikes, but the quality of the air could be better. Amsterdam residents live an average of eleven months shorter.

WHO standards

The city, therefore, opts for stricter rules and hopes to comply with the recommended air quality standards of the World Health Organization, which will apply from 2030.

Amsterdam has been working for a long time to make the air cleaner and traffic sustainable. The city introduced the first environmental zone in 2007. In 2009, the first charging infrastructure was installed.

A current survey has shown that 41% of Amsterdam citizens are positive about the transition to zero-emission traffic in the city; 33% are neutral about it.