Diesel driving ban in Munich: the surrounding area feels ignored when it comes to plans

Created: 2022-12-08 09:22

By: Carina Ottillinger

The city of Munich must comply with emission values.

(Iconic image) © Volkmar Schulz

The surrounding area feels ignored when it comes to plans for the diesel driving ban in Munich.

The regional planning association demands, among other things, that parts of the middle ring be exempted from the rule.

District – The planned diesel driving ban in Munich caused a heated discussion at the meeting of the Munich Regional Planning Association (RPV).

Despite time pressure, it cannot be that the state capital excludes the surrounding area from the planning.

The municipalities want to have a say

Because in the district of Munich alone, around 10,000 diesel vehicles in emission class Euro 4 are affected.

From February, they are no longer allowed to drive through the environmental zone that has been extended to the Mittlerer Ring.

From October, this will also apply to Euro 5 drivers;

from April 2024 all exceptions will no longer apply.

This three-stage plan is part of the draft update of the clean air plan that the state capital decided on October 26th.

The diesel driving ban serves to comply with the emission values ​​specified by the ECJ.

Failure to comply could result in high penalties.

"Impacts on the surrounding area insufficiently considered"

The RPV feels left out in the whole debate.

"In the clean air plan, the effects on the surrounding area are insufficiently taken into account," said RPV Managing Director Christian Breu at the meeting in Oberhaching.

The drivers concerned could not simply switch to public transport because there was "no efficient offer".

Whether it's a cable car along the Frankfurter Ring or the expansion of the subway to Martinsried: All of these considerations lie in the distant future.

The RPV therefore calls for the section of the Mittlerer Ring between the A 8 and A 95 to be exempted from the diesel driving ban.

In addition, the government of Upper Bavaria should keep a close eye on the effects of the driving ban on the surrounding communities.

The RPV meanwhile has fundamental doubts about the sense of the regulation.

He has forecasts that assume that individual measures on Landshuter Allee will enable compliance with the limit values ​​in 2023, says Breu.

And from 2024, general compliance with the limit values ​​can be expected.

Further driving bans would then not be necessary.

Andreas Bauer, head of environmental protection in the city of Munich, defended the draft of the clean air plan and referred to the time pressure.

“We have built in two exit options.

If the values ​​improve in the respective phases, we can check the proportionality of the next stages.” The forecasts available to the RPV are too optimistic.

Studies have shown that air filter systems can only reduce emissions insufficiently.

Furthermore, the committee did not ignore the surrounding area, but included the commuters in the draft.

However, Bauer assured the RPV that his opinion would be taken into account in the final draft of the clean air plan.

More news from the district of Munich can be found here.