Investigation of the user's acceptance concerning a Low Emission Zone in the center of Thessaloniki, Greece

The paper deals with the investigation of the user's acceptance concerning the possible implementation of a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in the center of the city of Thessaloniki, Greece. A face-to-face questionnaire-based survey took place in the central area of the city, between July and September 2014 in order to investigate the opinions and the intentions of the residents of the city concerning a possible implementation of a LEZ in this area. The questionnaire included 17 questions and it was addressed to driving license holders only. The total number of the questionnaires which were collected was 201. More than half of the respondents are in favor of the LEZ scheme. It is interesting to notice that 34% of the residents who live in the central area do not accept the idea of paying for their entrance to the LEZ while the respective percentage of the residents who live outside the city center is 46.8%. As far as the respondents' intention to buy a hybrid car is concerned, 45.8% have stated that they agree with this idea. A binary logistic model was developed, so that the parameters that have a statistical power to influencing the respondents' intention to replace their conventional cars with hybrid cars could be identified. After the parameters had been examined, it was found out that the respondents' perception of the air quality conditions in the city, their willingness to pay for the introduction of the LEZ scheme in the city, as well as their intention to change their mobility behavior in the city center, are statistical important parameters that affect the residents' intention to replace their conventional cars with hybrid ones. Finally a comparative analysis of the study outcomes concerning a similar study that was conducted in another Greek city, the city of Volos, is also presented and commented.