Diesel driving ban in Munich: Is the tightening coming after all?
In July last year, the people of Munich breathed a sigh of relief when Mayor Dieter Reiter announced that the EU limit value for nitrogen dioxide would only be exceeded in two places. A driving ban for Euro 5 diesel vehicles was therefore suspended for the time being from October 2023. But now the discussion about a diesel driving ban seems to have been reignited.
The State Office for the Environment (LFU) recently published its preliminary annual report. This shows that the limit value for nitrogen dioxide was exceeded again at the Landshuter Allee measuring point - and more significantly than expected. At 45 micrograms, the exposure is 12.5 percent above the permitted value. This strengthens the position of the German Environmental Aid (DUH) and the German Transport Club (VCD), which are sticking to their lawsuit against the city.
DUH and VCD initially sued the country to ensure compliance with the limit value. After responsibility was transferred to the municipalities, the city of Munich inherited the legal dispute. It was agreed on a three-stage driving ban for diesel vehicles within the environmental zone, which was expanded to include the Middle Ring. Since February 2023, however, only the first stage, which slows down Euro 4 diesel, has been in effect.
When the city council rejected tightening the driving ban in the summer of 2023, it assumed an annual average of 41 micrograms on Landshuter Allee. Tightening the driving ban was therefore viewed as disproportionate.
It was also hoped that positive effects would come from a new bus lane and air filters, which are to be installed on Landshuter Allee in November 2021. However, the latest LFU readings appear to dampen these hopes. A scientific evaluation of the effectiveness of the air filters is still pending.
In view of this development, DUH and VCD filed another lawsuit in October. They see the agreement with the city as broken. The DUH is now calling for the immediate implementation of the second stage of the driving ban and is also considering a third stage that would provide for significantly fewer exceptions than necessary.
How is the city responding to these demands? Mayor Reiter is reserved. He refers to the Department for Climate and Environmental Protection, which will present a technical forecast on the further development of air values in 2024 at the end of the first quarter. On this basis, the department will recommend further action to the city council.
It remains to be seen whether and how the diesel driving ban in Munich will be tightened. What is clear, however, is that the discussion about air quality in the city and the effects on the environmental zone will continue. The outcome of this debate could be groundbreaking for other cities facing similar challenges.