Nationwide car-free Sundays on the rise
In view of the massive price development at the petrol pumps, there are various approaches to reduce dependence on Russian raw materials. The energy policy spokesperson of the SPD Scheer has now called for car-free Sundays. She also considers a faster switch to renewable energies to be indispensable. In Berlin, too, the Greens are calling for a car-free Sunday.
At least as far as nationwide car-free Sundays are concerned, there is approval from almost half of the population. According to the civey polling institute, 48 per cent of the population welcome this measure. 45 percent were against it. The fuel subsidy, which Federal Finance Minister Lindner has brought up for discussion, is viewed more critically. 72 percent were against it and 39 percent in favour. The polling institute civey has been criticised in the past, however, for the fact that its results are less meaningful than those of other polling institutes because of the way the survey is conducted. But the polling portal YouGov also comes to similar results when it comes to car-free Sundays: 54 percent are in favour, 37 percent against.
The consequences of higher fuel prices are directly felt by consumers. The taxi industry wants to charge higher prices, but it is up to the districts or cities to decide. Prices for driving schools have already been increased. Care services are also particularly affected. At present, the flat rate for travel is still 4.70 euros per trip, which is no longer profitable, especially in rural areas. Thus, people in need of care could have to pay more themselves. Craftsmen are already charging more for the journey. The same applies to delivery services and restaurants that deliver their meals by motorised means, for which a price increase of 10 percent is assumed.
The environmental politician Scheer (SPD) demands not only car-free Sundays but also a faster switch to non-fossil energies. Car-free Sundays will probably not be able to counteract the price increases, but perhaps they can ensure that Germany gets off Russian oil and gas a little sooner. Greenpeace has calculated that with two car-free Sundays per month, 1.3 million tonnes less fuel would be needed for the whole year. The share of imported mineral oil would decrease by 1.4 percent. If every Sunday were car-free, there would even be a reduction of 2.9 million tonnes, which would correspond to 5.6 per cent less oil and would lead to a noticeable reduction in total pollutant emissions. Rapidly tapping renewable energies at the expense of fossil energy would also have a positive effect on the quality of the air.