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Cologne circumvents ban on diesel driving

It is official: no driving bans in the cathedral city.

With several blue eyes, Cologne has managed to avoid a diesel driving ban. This was agreed by the city, the state government and the organisation Deutsche Umwelthilfe in an out-of-court conciliation meeting on 4 June, although the outcome of these negotiations has only been publicly announced today.

Nevertheless, the current result is subject to several conditions. A wide variety of traffic engineering measures will be implemented in a timely manner, such as the construction of 200 additional charging points for electric vehicles, bicycle parking facilities and extensive 30 km/h zones in the city centre between the Ring and the banks of the Rhine.

Lord Mayor Reker, visibly relieved, summarizes to the Kölner Stadtanzeiger: "This is a good day for Cologne. This comparison shows that the measures taken by the City of Cologne to protect the health of the people of Cologne are effective. The City of Cologne has drawn up a whole bundle of measures and projects, many of which have already been implemented in the short term and are designed for the long term, which will improve the air in Cologne in the long term. I am particularly proud of the comparison that has now been made, that driving bans for Cologne are off the table".