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A few are still there: traffic signs for speed limits in a depot of the Autobahnmeisterei in Birkenwerder, Brandenburg
Photo: Florian Gaertner / photothek / IMAGO
Volker Wissing (FDP) refers to the "considerable effort" that a general speed limit on German autobahns would cause.
"You would have to put up appropriate signs if you did it for three months and then take them down again," said the Federal Transport Minister of the "Hamburger Morgenpost" in an interview published on Tuesday.
"We don't have that many signs in stock."
Therefore, he thinks nothing of temporarily capping the top speed, said Wissing.
There is no majority in the traffic light coalition for a permanent regulation that, as in the other EU countries, would do without additional signs because it applies across the board.
"It drives a wedge in society."
Green party leader Ricarda Lang had called for a temporary speed limit at the weekend.
The federal government should look at what is on the table without any bans on thinking.
She told the editorial network Germany (RND) that no measure would immediately end dependence on oil: "And because there are hardly any other measures that work quickly, we now need a temporary speed limit on motorways - for example for nine months and thus until At the end of the year, i.e. at the latest when we want to become independent of Russian oil.«
SPD-Left, city council and economics for it
The co-chairman of the Forum for the Democratic Left in the SPD, Sebastian Roloff, told the "Handelsblatt" that there were very good arguments for a speed limit of 130 on the motorway, "for example that it saves energy in a very simple way".
In addition, surveys showed that people were in favor of the measure at the moment.
"Therefore, we should implement this quickly," said the member of the Bundestag.
The general manager of the German Association of Cities, Helmut Dedy, recently emphasized that from now on more attention should be paid to energy consumption.
"That's why we're advocating checking a speed limit now.
This would allow us to immediately leverage potential savings.« The »Wirtschaftsweise« Veronika Grimm said it was important to send out signals that there could be an explosive situation if Russian energy supplies were to be stopped.
Such a signal could be a general speed limit on freeways.
FDP: no time for ideological debates
The FDP, on the other hand, sticks to their strict rejection.
In the crisis caused by the corona pandemic and the war in Ukraine, there is no time for ideological debates, said party leader and Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner on Saturday.
The Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Transport, Daniela Kluckert (FDP), emphasized in the "Handelsblatt" that a speed limit on motorways had not been explicitly agreed in the coalition agreement.
"And this decision stands." She referred to the agreed "overall package" to relieve the burden on the citizens.
According to experts, fuel consumption per kilometer is heavily dependent on the speed driven, especially on the motorway.
According to the Federal Environment Agency, a typical vehicle traveling at 90 km/h on the same route consumes 23 percent less fuel than at a speed of 110 km/h.
Temporary speed limits are also common in neighboring countries.
Since 2020, the speed limit in the Netherlands has been 100 during the day, and at night it is still possible to drive up to 130 km/h on some sections.
In Belgium, the maximum speed on most stretches of motorway was reduced to 90 km/h on a daily basis at the end of March.
Reason was smog alert.
Otherwise the limit is 120 km/h.
Both countries are led by liberal heads of government.
ak/dpa-afx
