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Thousands March in Madrid to Save Anti-Pollution Plan

Agence France-Presse

   Thousands marched through Madrid on Saturday to ask the Spanish
   capital's new mayor not to ditch ambitious traffic restrictions in the
   center only recently set up to improve air quality.
   "Madrid Central," as it is called, was one of the measures that
   persuaded the European Commission not to take Spain to court last year
   over its bad air pollution in the capital and Barcelona, as it did with
   France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
   "Fewer cars, better air" and "The new city hall seriously harms your
   health" were the messages on banners as protesters walked through the
   city'scenter in 40-degree-Celsius heat.
   The capital's new conservative mayor, Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, made
   ditching "Madrid Central" a priority during his campaign, saying it had
   done nothing to ease pollution and only caused a nuisance for locals.
   But since he has taken power as part of a coalition with center-right
   partyCiudadanos, city officials have toned this down, saying the
   government is merely seeking to reform a system that does not work
   properly, havingmistakinglyhanded out some fines.
   When the system was launched in November, Madrid followed in the steps
   of other European cities such as London, Stockholm and Milan that have
   restricted traffic in their centers.

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