As more cities across Europe take action to address their congested or polluted urban centers by restricting or outright banning vehicles from those areas, a study recently released by the European Commission suggests making a number of exemptions, including one for historic vehicles.

In the works for two years, the Study on Urban Vehicle Access Regulations, authored by representatives from consultants Isinnova and Price Waterhouse & Cooper, aimed to survey existing or pending restrictions or bans on automobile traffic throughout the European Union and provide policy recommendations for cities and countries looking to implement their own restrictions. Largely implemented as low-emission zones intended to curb air pollution, the restrictions also take the form of congestion zones and urban toll roads.

While much of the study focused on issues like signage, overall strategies, and integrating the restricted areas into city development plans, the study did specify a number of vehicle types that should be excluded from such traffic restrictions, among them emergency vehicles, diplomatic vehicles, construction vehicles, and historic vehicles as defined by the EU’s roadworthiness testing directive.

Car enthusiasts and research agrees: keep historic combustion-engined autos on European roads!