Freedom Brings Cars And Pollution To Tirana Albania

In a country where most of the cars on the road are stolen, an ambitious new environment minister wants to treat excessive vehicle emissions as a crime.

1 minute read

March 30, 2004, 6:00 AM PST

By Zvi Leve

When Albania's communist dictatorship collapsed in the late 1980s there were only 2,000 cars in the country, and horses and carts were a more common form of transport in the capital, Tirana. In the 15 years since the removal of the old regime, Tirana has become choked with some 300,000 cars, lorries and buses. "Motoring in Albania is a form of anarchy where rules about car imports are circumvented by bribes, allowing into the country cars banned inside the EU." Tirana is now seen as the most polluted capital in Europe.

Thanks to Zvi Leve

FULL STORY: Welcome to Tirana, Europe's pollution capital

Saturday, March 27, 2004 in The Guardian Unlimited

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