Stuttgart drops diesel while German cities dally
German environmentalists made waves by suing their cities over dirty air. Stuttgart is bringing in a diesel ban in April, but after appeals and strong resistance from lawmakers, where can you drive a diesel these days?
Car city Stuttgart - home to powerful auto makers Porsche and Daimler
From April 1 it will be illegal to drive diesel vehicles made before the Euro 5 standard was developed in 2009 in Stuttgart. This after an environmental group went to court to force the city into action. But 'yellow vest' styled protests have pushed back with class and economic arguments for three months. The city will decide whether to ban Euro 5 diesels after emissions tests in mid-2019.
Hamburg - out in front
Hamburg became the first German city to introduce partial bans in June 2018, with two-thirds of its 300,000 diesels forced off two of its main roads. The city is one of about 80 in Germany where nitrogen oxide levels often surpass the European threshold of 40 micrograms per cubic meter. In February 2018 the top federal court cleared the way for state courts to impose bans to improve air quality.
Munich - Germany resists
Munich has relatively low pollution levels but lost in court to German environmentalists in 2017. It refused to implement the bans. After Dieselgate, the EU acted on Germany's lax controls, but much of the country is still resistant. Last year Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed the EU to allow a buffer of 10 micrograms in cities and promised to introduce laws protecting older diesel owners.
Cologne, Düsseldorf and Bonn - dodging diesel
With the dirtiest air in the densely populated state of NRW, Cologne was served with a court order last year but has appealed. The city has found ways to clean up its atmosphere through low emission buses, truck detours, traffic lights and cycling infrastructure. Nearby Düsseldorf has introduced 60 such measures to avoid the bans, while Bonn has appealed an order due to take effect in April
Berlin gets buses
Berlin has until July to implement a clean air plan but drafts so far say 11 major streets will be closed to diesels up to Euro 5 standard. More than 100 roads will be limited to 30 km/h (18 mph). The city will also bring on 200 new double decker buses ―powered by diesel ― part of a broader investment in new public transport to battle air pollution.