Circulation would be suspended for vehicles with foreign and federal plates during the first two phases; restrictions based on license plate termination are also considered.
Vehicle circulation in Querétaro may be restricted or suspended when an environmental contingency due to ozone is declared, according to guidelines published by the Secretariat of Sustainable Development.
Among the measures to be applied is the suspension of circulation in the metropolitan area and in San Juan del Río from 5:00 to 11:00 hours for vehicles with foreign and federal plates, whether in Phase I or Phase II of the declaration.
Another measure, which will apply only in Phase II, will be the suspension of circulation in the metropolitan area and in San Juan del Río from 6:00 hours to 22:00 hours according to the following distribution: license plate termination 5 and 6 on Monday, license plate termination 7 and 8 on Tuesday, license plate termination 3 and 4 on Wednesday, license plate termination 1 and 2 on Thursday, and license plate termination 9 and 0 on Friday.
In both Phase I and II, the restriction of circulation in the metropolitan area and San Juan del Río to units that visibly pollute is also contemplated; another measure will be restricted, during the atmospheric environmental contingency, the circulation for vehicles with any Querétaro license plate termination that do not comply with the provisions of the current State Vehicle Verification Program of the State of Querétaro.
They explain that the Environmental Code of the state of Querétaro establishes that the circulation of vehicles can be restricted or suspended depending on the circulation routes or determined zones, as well as the sticker, number of plates, and schedule, day or period indicated by the authority.
“The general citizenry, as well as the owners of mobile and fixed sources, must comply with the recommendations and measures issued by SEDESU until the suspension of these is determined,” reads the document.
Regarding the guidelines and actions to be executed during an ozone environmental contingency episode, in Phase I it will be activated if the hourly average is greater than 0.154 ppm. And in Phase II if the hourly average is greater than 0.204 ppm.
They point out that everything will be done according to the monitoring of air quality, the concentration of pollutants, and if there is an ecological risk that could affect the environment or have repercussions on public health as established by the official Mexican standards.
“The activation of the atmospheric environmental contingency in any of its phases will be declared when one or more of the air quality monitoring stations of the State of Querétaro report values equal to or higher than those indicated in Table 1 of this instrument and that the air quality forecast, used by the Secretariat, indicates that such values will be maintained during the next 24 hours,” the document states.
Other measures contemplated in Phase I or II of the contingency include reducing the consumption of fossil fuels in sources under federal and state jurisdiction in terms of emissions to the atmosphere; as well as reducing emissions in the distribution and use of L.P. gas during the connection and disconnection in cylinder filling at the base. And reducing activities that generate fugitive emissions to the air through the use of solvents and coatings in commerce and services according to the standard.
While in Phase II, measures such as reducing activities of L.P. gas storage and supply plants will be applied, except for those that have dry disconnect valves for transshipment and cylinder filling according to the standard. And another action will be to suspend paving, asphalt, and pothole repair activities from 8:00 to 17:00 hours according to the declaration.
Source: Diario de Queretaro
