As early as next year, the mayor of Paris wants to make the city centre almost car-free. The city is thus following other metropolises in southern Europe. In Germany, citizens and politicians still oppose strict environmental zones in city centres.
French people who trade in their combustion engine for an electric bicycle will in future receive €2,500 from the state. This is not intended to make vehicles greener in the transport transition, but to reduce their overall number. A similar push in Germany fell on deaf ears from politicians.
The next few years are all-important for the world's climate. To comply with the Paris Climate Agreement, we must act quickly. Zero-emission zones are one measure to improve the air in our cities. But the e-car can hardly improve our CO₂ balance.
The closure of an intersection in Berlin divides the neighbourhood. Many older people oppose the pilot project, families with children and younger people were in favour. The project shows how important the car is to many Germans. Other countries show that it is possible to live without a car.
German politicians could hardly behave more paradoxically: The German government is promoting the mobility revolution and the switch to electric cars, but prefers to drive diesels itself. The Ministry of Transport is doing particularly badly. It has failed as a role model.
On the first Sunday of every month, vehicles are banned in the centre of the two major cities. This Sunday is no exception.
Berlin citizens have submitted a draft law that would virtually ban car traffic within Berlin's S-Bahn ring. According to the bill, not even electric cars would be allowed to enter. The initiative is likely to face a lot of opposition.
A green city of millions is to be built on the Red Sea, where there are no conventional roads and cars are completely banned. The project is controversial, but it could be a blueprint for the mobility revolution in large cities in Europe as well.
The city expects a significant increase in e-cars. But there is a lack of charging stations and models for the middle class.
Driving in the Belgian capital should no longer be fun. The speed limit in the entire city centre is the first step to deter drivers and significantly reduce traffic.
