Low emission zone in Dresden soon? New EU limits may actually lead to more driving bans!
Due to the tightening of air limits by the European Union, there could soon be low emission zones in Dresden and Chemnitz. The plans for new driving bans are becoming more and more concrete. The EU only voted on the new roadmap for air quality at the end of last year. According to this, the limit values are to be adapted to the WHO values. The only low emission zone in Saxony, Leipzig, could soon be joined by other East German cities.
In recent years, low emission zones in German cities have made an important contribution to improving air quality. They limit access for vehicles with high exhaust emissions and thereby encourage the use of more environmentally friendly means of transport, including electric cars.
First of all, low emission zones are an effective means of reducing pollutant emissions in urban areas. In Leipzig, the only city in Saxony with a low emission zone, pollution from combustion particles and soot has decreased significantly over the last six years. This shows that low emission zones can have a positive impact on air quality.
Due to the new EU limit values, many German cities may soon have to make improvements in order to further improve air quality. In Saxony, there are already more concrete plans for Dresden and Chemnitz. The necessity of this would have to be verified by air hygiene analyses.
However, the effectiveness of low emission zones also depends on the willingness of citizens to switch to more environmentally friendly modes of transport. Electric cars play an important role here. They are emission-free and therefore ideal for use in low emission zones. However, if the purchase of electric cars declines, this could jeopardise progress in air quality in these zones.
A decline in the purchase of electric cars could have various causes. Possible reasons could be high purchase costs, limited ranges or insufficient charging infrastructure. Such obstacles could lead to people continuing to opt for vehicles with combustion engines, which would jeopardise air quality in environmental zones.
Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) emphasises that low emission zones can be an effective means of improving air quality even without electric cars. They can help to ensure that certain areas are kept free of emissions from traffic.
This is particularly important now that the European Union is tightening the limit values for pollutants.
Overall, it is clear that low emission zones are an important tool for improving air quality in cities. Incentives must be created to encourage even more people to switch to more environmentally friendly modes of transport. This is the only way to promote the purchase of electric cars and sustainably improve air quality in our cities.