As of: March 13, 2024, 10:00 a.m
By: Alexandra Korimorth
Comments
Press
Split
The Greens in Waakirchen are campaigning for a speed limit (symbolic image).
© IMAGO/Michael Gstettenbauer
With a narrow majority of ten to nine votes, the Waakirchner local council approved a proposal from the Green parliamentary group.
The topic was the community's entry into the “Livable Cities through Adapted Speeds” initiative.
Waakirchen – Speed on the roads is a “significant factor for the quality of life,” explained the Greens.
The most common complaints from Waakirchners are directed against driving too fast.
Local councilors regularly received requests for speed limits.
According to Cornelia Riepe and Evi Obermüller (both Greens), a speed limit could ensure more safety among road users.
Riepe underlined her application with the argument that the “Livable Cities through Adapted Speeds” initiative, founded in 2021, is committed to giving municipalities more freedom to decide when setting speeds.
Over 1,000 municipalities across Germany have already joined the initiative.
On the Internet you can find the number of 846 municipalities that have expressed their desire for a speed limit of 30 km/h in urban areas by joining.
The neighboring municipality of Gmund is also already involved, says Riepe: “The more municipalities take part, the greater the influence will be.” It is about changing the road traffic law, which would follow the normal approval route, but after a corresponding decree would enable the municipalities to present their arguments easier to enforce.
In addition, the through-town route would still remain a problem after the Waakirchen bypass was rejected.
Riepe strongly advocated joining, which would involve neither costs nor work for the community.
“Livable cities”: Truck drivers should avoid small country roads
Caroline Marquardt (WIR) supported the idea: “Municipalities should be able to set speed limits wherever they see fit.” She hopes that truck drivers in particular will avoid small country roads if they have to expect delays there.
The ABV also received encouragement: “I see an opportunity for municipalities to be able to make independent decisions,” explained Michael Mohrenweiser.
Rudi Reber envisioned a permanently installed speed camera for control purposes.
Meanwhile, headwind came from Günter Jeske (FWG).
He feared that inner cities would be bled dry by the “Livable Cities” initiative and its street management measures.
He gave Munich as an example, where it is a difficult undertaking to get into the city center by car.
Jeske and Mayor Norbert Kerkel fear that the designation of 30 zones on the thoroughfares would only cause traffic to stay in the town longer and cause more pollution.
Jeske considered the application to be “completely pointless” in that the municipality could already designate 30 zones in the settlements, so that only district roads would be up for discussion anyway.
Here he fears a “flood of applications and counter-motions”.
Ten of the 19 local councilors saw it differently and voted to join.
ak