After the criticism of the measurements in Kiel and Stuttgart has not gone away, Reutlingen is now also becoming a target.
A German proverb says that whoever has the damage does not have to take care of the spot. The city of Reutlingen is currently painfully experiencing first-hand how contemporary and realistic this saying is.
So the Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) made fun of the city in its satirical show Extra 3 in epic breadth. The background is quickly explained: The measuring systems used in Reutlingen are to measure air values at prominent locations that are heavily polluted by emissions. At the moment, however, a 200-meter long section of road is being renovated and is therefore temporarily closed to traffic - the vehicles have to use a detour. A crosswalk that is otherwise located at the same point in the city center was also shut down without further ado. Reason enough for the popular satirical magazine to give the city a real going-over.
The television report is grist to the mill of the organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), which has been engaged in legal negotiations with many cities in the country for months. The DUH and several critics see the mentioned construction project in Reutlingen as pure waste and tactics to improve air quality and thus prevent the threatening diesel driving bans.
The city denies this: "The presentation of the detour for pedestrians in the article is undoubtedly funny, but is based on alternative facts," a city spokeswoman tries to smooth the waters.
Self-confident and above all energetic damage limitation looks different: Thus surely no diesel driving bans are prevented!