The environmental track was not the last word.

The Greens in Düsseldorf have also accepted this and, together with the coalition partner CDU, abolished the three controversial special strips in the city.

It was one of the key campaign promises made by the current mayor, Stephan Keller (CDU), that the measure intended to improve the air quality in the North Rhine-Westphalian state capital at the urging of the non-governmental organization environmental aid would be scrapped.

The result was long traffic jams and dissatisfied residents and commuters - but a significant improvement in the measured values ​​could not be determined.

Jonas Jansen

Business correspondent in Düsseldorf.

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However, to ensure that the clean air plan is observed despite the end of the environmental lanes in March 2021, a speed limit of 30 has been applied to one of the earlier environmental lanes since then, and the traffic lights have also been switched to an "environmentally sensitive" signal circuit, which is based on the measured values ​​for nitrogen oxides.

That means: When the air is bad, fewer cars can drive through.

Where previously the environmental lanes were reserved for local public transport, taxis and electrically powered vehicles, more and more cyclists should now have free rides on their own lanes.

Parking garage for commuters

Traffic in particular plays an important role in Düsseldorf's goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2035.

For example, a future study for mobility in the state capital in 2035 was recently presented with the “Merit Order Verkehr”, for which a lot still has to be done.

The Office for Traffic Management and the city's own mobility subsidiaries want to set up seven mobile stations in various parts of the city this year - with covered bicycle parking spaces, e-car charging stations, car-sharing parking spaces and cargo bike rental machines.

The "Emission-free inner city" funding project has only just started through the public dialogue in the districts, but the stations should already be set up by the middle of the year.

Black-Green's plan to set up a commuter car park to convince more drivers who want to go downtown to switch to the Rheinbahn is currently politically controversial.

The FDP council group rejects the current plan for the 23 million euro project.

“800 parking spaces after six years of discussion in an inadequate place.

This is pure harassment without rhyme or reason, ”said the FDP parliamentary group leader Manfred Neuenhaus.

The fact that Düsseldorf, which was recently named the state's traffic jam capital again, was not hit even harder by the rail chaos caused by the summer flood and the insolvency of the local transport company Abellio, is probably due to the still high home office rate due to the corona pandemic.

In the summer, the city council itself showed how far there is still to go: In a survey, the clear majority of elected representatives stated that they did not want to do without the free parking ticket at council meetings.

Articles on the situation in Leipzig, Munich, Hanover and Stuttgart have also appeared in this series.