Diesel driving ban starts in Stuttgart
The drama about the driving ban in Stuttgart has come to an end: the last signs are currently being put up.
On paper already active since July 1st, the driving ban in Stuttgart will start as soon as the remaining signs have been put up. At the moment there is a kind of grace period. From October on, however, a fine of 100 euros plus an administrative fee of 28.50 euros will be imposed for violations.
In the past months, Stuttgart had tried desperately and with all legal tricks to avert the nationwide diesel driving ban; in the end, even an emergency application was unsuccessful. For Lord Mayor Kretschmann (Greens), however, the situation is not so dramatic in the medium term: "The values have fallen drastically and will continue to fall, especially as the fleet is being renewed and emissions are noticeably reduced by modern diesel engines. By fleet, Kretschmann means the increasing number of buses which are already equipped with alternative drive systems and which reduce emissions noticeably. For the organisation Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), this circumstance is nevertheless no reason to abandon the planned driving bans. For the coalition partner CDU, on the other hand, the matter is clear, as Transport Minister Winfried Hermann clearly emphasizes: "The air quality in Stuttgart is as good as never before. Current measurements show that the air quality is below the limit values". His party colleague and faction leader Wolfgang Reinhart takes a similar view and demands a current judicial appraisal: "And it would be incomprehensible to the citizens now if we were to impose further driving bans. I expect more commitment from the Ministry of Transport.
Will Stuttgart ever calm down? One can assume that until the beginning of October there will be a lot of arguments and discussions in Swabia - including media malice.