Stuttgart becomes the first major driving ban zone for diesel



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S tuttgart introduced the first large-scale driving ban for older diesel vehicles. As of January 1, 2019, the state capital of Baden-Württemberg excludes all diesel cars that only meet the Euro 4 emission standard or worse. So far, there are only driving restrictions for diesel vehicles in Hamburg, but these only concern two particularly polluted sections of road. In Stuttgart, the entire urban area will be affected.

However, the green-black state government also decided that the ban on driving newer diesel cars from the Euro 5 standard should be avoided. First of all, we must see if other measures to improve the quality of the air are in force, so that a ban on these vehicles would no longer be necessary. In Stuttgart, the Neckartor is one of the polluters most exposed to toxic nitrogen oxides in Germany

The Federal Administrative Court ruled in the spring that bans on driving are possible in principle, but that transition periods are planned. possible only a year later for the new Euro 5 cars.

The coalition partners have negotiated not only the driving ban but also exceptions. Thus, for residents with older diesel cars, a transitional period until April 1, 2019 applies. The craftsmen must have time to renew their fleets, taxis, coaches, emergency vehicles and auxiliary vehicles are exempted from the ban, as well as work machines, Bundeswehr vehicles, garbage cans and vintage cars with the corresponding plate. public transport and electromobility must be supported. The Minister of Transport, Winfried Hermann (Greens), has announced, among other things, more express bus lines and better management of the parking space in Stuttgart. In total, the package of measures for air pollution costs 450 million euros, the majority of funding being already secured. There was a total of 105 million euros over ten years to fund it.

The CDU faction in Baden-Württemberg also presented several technical solutions that should help reduce nitrogen oxide emissions in the city. These include a special road surface, which consists of tying toxic exhaust gases from the air, and a noise barrier, which consists of reducing both the nitrogen oxides and the fine dust from the air. Such measures must be implemented mainly in Neckartor, where the lowest atmospheric values ​​are regularly measured.

Since the decision of the Federal Administrative Court, the government of Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) has been forced to reduce high levels of nitrogen oxide. Kretschmann said that the agreement shows that the coalition is capable of action. Previously, it had been speculated that the state government could be on the issue of diesel bans.

According to the figures of the Federal Office of Transport (KBA) at the beginning of this year are in the Stuttgart area, Böblingen, Esslingen, Göppingen, Ludwigsburg and Rems-Murr encircle a total of 534 573 approved diesel cars . 34% of them are on the road with Euro 5 standards, which corresponds to 183,358 cars. In addition, 188,163 diesel cars are homologated according to Euro 1 to 4 standards. This corresponds to a share of 35% of all diesel cars. These approximately 190,000 vehicles would be directly affected by traffic bans at the end of the year.

Stuttgart is one of the many cities that are currently discussing traffic bans. The annual average value of nitrogen oxides should not exceed 40 micrograms per cubic meter of air. But this limit is not respected in many municipalities. Last year, the highest concentration of nitrogen oxide was measured in Munich with an average value of 78 micrograms. He followed Stuttgart with 73 micrograms. Even Cologne, Reutlingen, Düren, Hamburg, Limburg, Düsseldorf, Kiel, Heilbronn, Backnang, Darmstadt, Bochum and Ludwigsburg far exceed the upper limit with values ​​above 50 micrograms

The World Health Organization recommends the Limit value for nitrogen oxides health damage of this concentration would suggest. As the elderly, children and the sick are also on the road, the limit values ​​are lower than those used in offices or industrial workplaces.

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