Darmstadt: Driving bans remain, speed limit 30 to come

Although traffic in Darmstadt has returned to a high level after the end of the Corona restrictions, nitrogen oxide levels seem to continue to show a downward trend. However, the fourth largest city in Hesse remains cautious and opts to keep driving restrictions in place in the Citytunnel and Heinrichstraße for diesel and older petrol cars. It is still too early to lift the bans, the city administration announced. 

The Hessian State Office for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology has published the measured values until March 2022 and confirmed that the values on both roads have "clearly gone down". Compared to the 60 micrograms of nitrogen dioxide per cubic metre of air recorded in 2015, the March measurements of 38.9 micrograms are a good result for the city. An improvement even compared to the annual mean value of the previous year, namely 40.2 micrograms of nitrogen dioxide per cubic metre of air. Only the annual mean values of the measuring device in Hügelstraße are still close to the limit value. 

According to Mayor Jochen Partsch, the driving bans can only be lifted when it can be safely assumed that no further limit values will be exceeded. For the time being, the city will stand by the clean air plan concluded in 2019 in cooperation with Deutsche Umwelthilfe and Verkehrsclub Deutschland. According to the plan, drivers of vehicles with emission classes Euro 1 to 5 and petrol engines with Euro standards 0 to 2 will continue to face fines.  

Instead, the introduction of a 30 km/h speed limit was recently planned for the busy Rhönring in the north of the city. After noise limits have always been exceeded, the measure is now intended to protect the residents of the main road from noise pollution. Around 17,300 motor vehicles travel between Eckhardtstrasse and the Heinheimer Strasse intersection every day, causing façade noise levels of over 60 to over 70 decibels at several houses. Councillor Michael Kolmer stated that there was clearly a need for action. Not only to reduce noise, which is just as important, but also to ensure traffic safety when cars and bicycles coexist.  

Environment and Mobility Councillor Michael Kolmer stated that further clean air measures to complement traffic restrictions, such as the further development of public transport and cycling infrastructure, were also important. After the creation of an environmental zone in 2015, Darmstadt is now continuing on the path to a cleaner future. With this, the citizens of the city of science want to free themselves from polluting combustion vehicles and annoying noise levels.