Clean Air Action Group (CAAG) has asked lord mayor István Tarlós to aggravate the smog alert regulation in a letter sent today. Events of recent days showed that the current smog alert regulation does not provide any kind of practical improvement in air quality. In case of smog alert warning the current regulation prohibits only vehicles having a black vignette; however, the number of these vehicles in the metropolitan traffic is negligible.

CAAG requests for the warning to take place if the concentration of particulate matter (PM10) exceeds 80 micrograms per cubic meter (instead of the current 100 micrograms), as it is applied in Paris. If the concentration exceeds the limit value of the smog alert warning, the warning should be ordered within three hours instead of the current two days. In case of smog alert warning the rule should be re-introduced which allows vehicles with even plate numbers and vehicles with odd plate numbers to be driven on alternating days. Two-wheeled vehicles with internal combustion engine should be excluded from traffic as these vehicles compared to their ratio in traffic emit disproportionately huge amounts of polluters. Public information about what to do in order to reduce air pollution should be significantly improved.

CAAG’s letter to the lord mayor can be read here (only in Hungarian).

translated by: Nyári Judit