The unique environmental zone would have meant that only pure electric cars would be allowed to drive in a smaller zone, centrally located in Stockholm.
The County Administrative Board's decision means an injunction, i.e. the environmental zone cannot come into effect until the matter has been finally settled.
We are surprised that the County Administrative Board is doing this now, says Lars Strömgren (Green Party), traffic commissioner in the City of Stockholm.
We are extremely keen on getting this zone in place, he continues.
"The work is not being interrupted"
The five appealing companies, three real estate companies, one taxi company, and one transportation company, have to varying degrees requested that the zone be stopped entirely, or alternatively postponed for a year.
We need to analyze this decision to see how we should proceed. The work is not being interrupted to achieve better air quality in the area, says Strömgren.
The opposition sees it differently:
"I am proud to have, together with Stockholm's business community, won this important partial victory: the County Administrative Board is stopping the introduction of Environmental Zone Class 3 for the time being. This is extremely embarrassing for the red-green government, which should now repeal the entire decision", says Dennis Wedin (The Moderate Party) opposition commissioner in a written comment.
"Constructive tone"
Wedin further claims that "the introduction was made without proper local dialogue". Something that Strömgren does not agree with:
We announced this two years ago, we have had about ten large dialogue meetings with several hundred different stakeholders. From most quarters, there has been a very constructive tone, he says.
