Welcome to the Green Zone

Whereas in the UK all we have to worry about is the ultra low emission zone in London, things are a bit more complicated in Europe. As you will know from Editor Martyn Knowles’s reports from the CM road trip to Germany in 2015, when visiting certain European regions, every car needs to display a special badge that reflects the levels of emissions produced by the engine. Many major cities and roads across the continent have also banned certain vehicles with high emissions at particular times of the day. And there are hefty fines for anyone caught breaking these environmental laws.

However, help is now at hand for anyone attempting to navigate roads and cities on the continent, courtesy of Green-zones Gmbh. The company has developed a special app that can be downloaded to your mobile device, which helps you to find your way around the different environmental zones. The app is available in English, German, French and Spanish.

Not only does the app tell you which badge is applicable in each of the zones and when time restrictions are in place, it also gives real-time updates of conditions in each region and if any exceptions to the rules have been made. From 8.00pm every evening, you can also access details about the following day’s road conditions.

If you are planning to travel to Europe this summer, you may need to buy an environmental badge for your vehicle in advance depending on your destination and the route you plan to take. Once you have paid the fee for your badge, you will also be given a special code to download the Green-zones app at no further cost.

You can also find out more by visiting www.green-zones.eu