Mayor Agustí Arbós deems Olot's inclusion on the list of municipalities required to implement the ZBE unfair, arguing that pollution levels are caused by through-traffic crossing the urban core due to the missing road link. This link is the final section needed to complete the Vic-Olot axis via Bracons, a project that has been pending for decades.
“"To cross Olot you have two alternatives, if you are a vehicle: you can go through the center or along Sant Jordi Avenue. If we close or limit one of these routes, what we will do is further congest the other, when 22,000 vehicles pass through one daily and 18,000 through the other."
This decision follows the Government's review of the list of municipalities between 20,000 and 50,000 inhabitants required to implement the ZBE next year. While Girona cities like Figueres, Palafrugell, and Sant Feliu de Guíxols have been exempted due to improved air quality, Olot, Salt, and Banyoles remain on the list. The Mayor of Banyoles, Miquel Noguer, stated that they will implement the measure if required, though he believes they are “no worse off than other exempted municipalities.”
The Olot and Les Preses bypass, a project dating back to 1994 with initial studies to connect Vic and Olot, is scheduled to begin construction in the second quarter of 2025, according to the Government's latest timeline. The Torelló-la Vall d'en Bas section was inaugurated in 2009, but the final pending section has faced opposition from municipalities like those in la Vall d'en Bas, who warn of the environmental impact.
