The German Autobahn is under threat
By Cameron Kirby from https://www.whichcar.com.au The last bastion of high-speed driving freedom could soon be outlawed There is a new plan to kill the Autobahn as we know and love it. If a minority party in Germany’s federal parliament has its way, a new national 130km/h limit could replace the unrestricted sections of the Autobahn. Currently there are 5353km of Autobahn which have the ‘unrestricted’ advisory speed limit. The Alliance90/The Greens political party, often referred to simply as The Greens, is behind the move, and is pushing the lowering of limits as part of a package of new measures intended to reduce emissions. “A speed limit would be a commandment of reason for an enlightened society in the 21st century,” said Green politician Cem Özdemir. It’s claimed that enforcing a 130km/h limit would lower Germany’s carbon dioxide emissions by between one and three million tonnes per year. In 2018, Germany produced 725.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. Lowering speed limits to 130km/h on the autobahn is supported by the German police union, with the head of the federal trade union Michael Mertens stating: “For us, a speed limit for transport policy reasons is urgently needed”. A vote on the proposition will be held in Germany’s national parliament, the Bundestag, on October 13. The federal parliament has 709 seats, with the joint Union alliance, made up of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU), and Social Democratic Party of Germany (SDP), holding a majority with 398 members. The Greens hold 67 of the 311 seats in opposition. The Union has previously defended the unrestricted speed limits on the Autobahn, including when they were attacked earlier this year. In January a leaked report from a government-appointed committee called the National Platform on the Future of Mobility […]
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