Why is there a driving ban on the A40?

The administrative court Gelsenkirchen has ordered the establishment of a diesel driving ban zone for the urban area in Essen. The "Blue Environmental Zone" is to apply in 18 of the 50 districts of the Ruhr city. Through this zone also runs a section of the A40, which is thus also affected by possible driving bans. The judges obliged North Rhine-Westphalia on Thursday to include such regulations in the clean air plan. In Essen, the introduction of a zonal ban on driving "in spite of the associated burden on the population and the economy is proportionate," said the court.

Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), which is fighting for compliance with the EU-wide limit value for harmful nitrogen dioxide (NO2), has been sued. Essen is one of the 35 cities with the highest nitrogen oxide levels in Germany.

Who is affected by the driving bans?

According to the ruling, a "blue environmental zone" must be set up in Essen within the current green environmental zone on 1 July 2019, which will not only ban the driving of diesel engines with Euro 4 engines and older, but also Euro 2 petrol engines and older should apply. From 1 September 2019, the ban will be extended to diesel of Euro 5 class. In Essen, around 42,000 class 4 and 5 diesel vehicles were registered at the beginning of the year. Affected by the driving ban for older diesel on the highway section of the A 40 but would not only residents and commuters in the Ruhr, but also the car long-distance traffic. In the neighboring town Gelsenkirchen also a driving ban was imposed. There, the Kurt-Schumacher-Straße is already from July 1 to only be drivable for Euro 6 diesel. For traders there should be exceptions.

How important is the A40 for the region?

The A40 is one of the most important traffic arteries in the Ruhrgebiet. It connects Duisburg in the west with Dortmund in the east and leads through the middle of major cities such as Essen and Bochum. On the 94-kilometer-long motorway with 45 connection points, trams and buses run partly on the median strip. The Essen-Ost motorway interchange, which is located in the city of Essen, passes around 130,000 cars per day. The section affected by the diesel driving ban cuts through a residential area, the houses are only a few meters away from the road. At this point in 2017 a nitrogen oxide value of 50 micrograms per cubic meter was measured on an annual average. Only 40 micrograms are allowed.

Are there any meaningful alternatives?

Currently there are no officially designated alternative routes. One option would be a kilometer-long detour via the A42, where traffic jams are preprogrammed. Even surrounding places have to adjust to an even higher alternative traffic, as he already rules there because of the constantly congested A40.

Where do more driving bans threaten?

Stuttgart has already announced driving bans. Here, diesel must be Euro 4 and worse from 2019 stay away from the low emission zone. An extension to Euro 5 must prepare Baden-Württemberg's state government for a court verdict now.

In Frankfurt am Main there will be a ban on driving from February 2019, which will probably affect the environmental zone. Munich , Düsseldorf and Aachen must also implement driving bans, but the competent authorities refuse to comply with the judgments. Often they appeal. Even in the case of final judgments, such as in Munich and Dusseldorf, the state governments are trying to circumvent the driving restrictions as much as possible. Aachen tries to avoid the driving bans by retrofitting municipal vehicles. If this fails, driving restrictions must be implemented here as of 1 January 2019.

In Cologne and Bonn , the state of North Rhine-Westphalia must introduce driving bans from April next year. In Cologne this affects the entire environmental zone, in Bonn two busy roads. However, the state government has already announced that it intends to appeal to the Higher Administrative Court.

Mainz has to introduce a driving ban for older diesel vehicles by September 1, 2019, if the average for nitrogen dioxide in the first six months of the year is above the limit. Berlin is still waiting for the written justification before the city takes further steps. Driving restrictions on eleven road sections threaten here.

How do you know if you are affected?

Which emission standard your own car has, is in the vehicle registration. In vehicle documents issued before 2005, the key number "1" key is decisive. For more recent documents, the emission standard can be found in field "14.1" . The numbers in the fields provide information about the pollutant standard as follows:

  • Euro 1: 01-04, 09, 11-14, 16, 18, 21, 22, 77
  • Euro 2: 25-29, 34, 35, 40, 41, 49, 71
  • Euro 3: 30, 31, 36, 37, 42, 44-61
  • Euro 4: 32, 33, 38, 39, 43, 62-70
  • Euro 5: 35AO - 35MO
  • Euro 6: 36NO - 36Y0
  • Other: 00, 05-08, 10, 15, 17, 19, 20, 23, 24, 88

Where are other decisions on driving bans?

On 21 November is negotiated driving bans for Darmstadt, on December 21, Wiesbaden follows. Overall, the DUH currently argues in court for driving bans in 29 cities. In the coming months it should become 34.