Name of the environmental zone: Environmental Zone Mönchengladbach – Germany
Date of entry into effect of the zone: 01-01-2013
Type of environmental zone: Permanent
Not allowed to drive (temporarily): Information currently unavailable
Not allowed to drive (permanently): Trucks of types N1, N2 and N3 and busses of types M2 and M3 that do not fulfill Euro Norm 4 as well as cars and mobile homes <3,5 t of type M1 that do not fulfill the Euro Norm 4.
Fines: 80 euros.
Area/extension of the environmental zone: The environmental zone encompasses the inner-city of Mönchengladbach.
Special features: None.
Contact of the environmental zone and exceptions: Public order office: www.moenchengladbach.de; Phone: 02161/25-6265.
Exemptions: Information currently unavailable
Environmental zone (green)
Do I need stickers or registrations?
To enter an environmental zone, each vehicle concerned requires a valid green environmental sticker. Otherwise, a fine of 80 euros plus 25 euros processing fee is to be expected.
How do I recognize the low emission zone?
The green environmental zone can be recognized by the traffic signs 270.1 and 270.2.
In front of each zone there is the sign 270.1 with an additional sign for the permitted sticker.
The end of the low emission zone is shown by the sign 270.2.
In our Green Zones App we have a detailed map of each low emission zone. So you can easily see the boundaries and avoid penalties.
Are there other low emission zones in Germany?
Yes, a lot of them. With over 80 different environmental zones, Germany has one of the most in Europe.
In our Green Zones App we have gathered together all the low emission zones in Europe and presented them clearly.
Electric cars
Is there a sticker for electric cars?
Yes! However, the sticker for electric vehicles is not intended for everyone. If the vehicle is registered in Germany, the last character on the license plate can be an "E". However, if the vehicle is registered abroad, an electric sticker (E-sticker) is required.
What advantages do I have with an E-sticker?
The E-sticker gives you various advantages. Depending on the municipality, there are various advantages, such as the use of bus lanes, free parking on the road and at electricity charging points, as well as the possible use of otherwise closed roads.
Do I need a green environmental sticker despite the E-sticker?
Yes, every car, no matter whether it is being driven on with petrol, diesel or electricity, requires a green environmental sticker according to the law. The E-sticker also entitles you to additional advantages over non-electric vehicles. The 35th BImSchV does not provide a separate paragraph for electric vehicles, which regulates them as an exception. Therefore: If an electric vehicle drives into a green environmental zone without a green sticker, a fine of 80 € + approx. 25 € handling fee must be expected.
Good to know...
All current driving bans and further information are available in our Green-Zones App.
Norway's low emission zones explained
Norway has two environmental zones. From 2025 onwards, the country does not want to allow any new combustion cars. This may not even be necessary, because no internal combustion cars are expected to be added as early as around 2022, if sales of electric cars continue as they have been.
New diesel driving bans throughout Germany?!
Germany is on the right track. One might think. Because the country has managed to comply with the limit values for particulate matter and nitrogen oxide almost everywhere. But new WHO limits could mean that driving bans for petrol and diesel vehicles and new environmental zones will be introduced in hundreds of cities and regions.
Bad air in Europe
Air pollution has a negative impact on health worldwide. It is estimated that a total of up to 4.2 million people die prematurely due to pollution in cities. In Europe, too, the limit values are exceeded by many countries.
Motorbikes no longer welcome
Motorcyclists have a hard time: more and more cities don't want to let old combustion engines in. Added to this is the noise with which male and female riders make themselves unpopular in many places. A survey among drivers suggests that there will be fewer and fewer motorbikes in the future.
International Car Free Day
Next Wednesday, 22 September, it's that time again, in 46 countries and in over 2000 municipalities: Car Free Day will be celebrated as part of Mobility Week. On this day, people appeal to car drivers to leave their cars behind and get around by bicycle or public transport instead.
Swiss Low Emission Zone explained
Switzerland also has to deal with air pollution. But it does not have to adhere to the EU's specifications. Instead, it has declared a much stricter limit value for particulate matter to be binding. It is not the European 40 µg/m³ that applies in Switzerland, but 30 µg/m³, which must be adhered to. Because this does not always work, there is an environmental zone in Geneva and the surrounding towns of Carouge, Cologny, Lancy and Vernier.
Low emission zones also ensure clean air indoors
Poor air is responsible for nearly 13,000 premature deaths a year in Germany alone. The country has one of the highest nitrogen oxide concentrations in the EU. This affects not only the big cities, but also many medium-sized or small towns. Germany is trying to get a grip on the situation by introducing environmental zones, diesel driving bans and environmental lanes.
Congestion charge for German cities?
It already exists in many European countries: in Norway, Great Britain, Sweden and Italy, the congestion charge is already reducing traffic and increasing revenue in some cities. Transport experts are now calling for the introduction of a toll in German cities as well.
Czech Republic against electric cars
The EU's plan to drastically reduce the share of internal combustion cars in Europe does not please everyone. The Czech Republic's prime minister has now announced that he will vote against the ban on the sale of cars that run on fossil fuels. This could put the EU's timetable in jeopardy, as all 27 states would have to agree to the ban.
Fraud at charging stations?
Charging stations, regardless of whether they charge quickly or take longer, should not charge more electricity than the consumer receives. But this is far too often the case because many charging stations are not calibrated.