Neither 30 km/h nor more safety for pedestrians and cyclists: Federal Council stops new traffic law
It's official, Germany is on the road to a traffic law disaster! The Bundesrat has blocked a reform of road traffic law, which had envisaged more 30 km/h zones, play streets and bus and cycle lanes, head-on. The state governments have thus cancelled Transport Minister Wissing's proposal and brought us one step closer to the abyss.
The reform was actually intended to give cities and municipalities more leeway for the establishment of bus lanes and 30 km/h zones, as well as measures for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. But no, the Bundesrat, i.e. the representatives of the federal states, answered the law with a resounding "no" and thus pulled the rug out from under the feet of all those who had hoped for an improvement in road safety and environmental protection.
But it's not just about more cycle lanes or driving at reduced speeds. It's about much more. It's about road safety, our health and shaping the cities of tomorrow.
The reform should enable local authorities to take more account of the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. It would have enabled us to move around our cities more freely and safely. It would have enabled us to make an active contribution to climate protection by relying less on our cars.
But politicians have once again managed to block progress and ignore the needs of citizens. They have robbed us of the opportunity to make an important contribution to climate protection and increase road safety. They have robbed us of the chance to make our cities more liveable, safer and more sustainable places. The Council's decision came as a surprise, as many federal states recently called for more flexibility in the decision-making ability of the federal states and local authorities.
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing regretted the failure of the new regulations and emphasised that local authorities need more room for manoeuvre on the ground. The federal states probably did not agree with this, at least in the form of the new law.
The German Association of Cities has also criticised the failure of the reform and emphasised the need to give local authorities more scope for decision-making in planning and traffic management. The German Cyclists' Federation (ADFC) reacted with shock and fears a drastic deterioration in the cycle path network in Germany and the safety of cyclists.
The failure of this reform is a serious blow to road safety and climate protection. It is proof that politicians are incapable of driving forward the necessary changes and tackling the urgent problems of our time. It seems that the various political institutions in Germany are standing in each other's way instead of driving forward green mobility.