Expert opinion, among other things, on the western bypass of Würzburg
MÜNCHEN
2
Min.
“The end of the road construction age must begin now,” said Richard Mergner, state chairman of the Bund Naturschutz (BN) in Bavaria, now in Munich. The reason for this was the presentation of an expert opinion on four projects in the federal traffic route plan, including the B26n (western bypass of Würzburg).
According to the study commissioned by the BN, the official data on the climate impacts of the construction projects are far too low and the conservationists criticize that they are “flattered”.
This plays a decisive role in the cost-benefit analysis. The CO caused by road construction2-Emission was “in no way adequately determined” for the Federal Transport Route Plan, said Mergner in a press conference. This results in the demand for an honest recalculation of greenhouse gas emissions. The planned federal road projects in Bavaria would have to be stopped by then.
A distinction is made between operational CO2-Emissions, i.e. emissions from vehicles on the new roads, and construction-related emissions (due to the materials used such as concrete and steel). Added to this is the loss of so-called carbon sinks through the use of forests, meadows or moors; It is precisely this factor that is neglected in the federal transport route plan, said Ralf Hoppe from the agency Regio Consult (Marburg), which prepared the report.
The CO is also »systematically underestimated«2-Emission caused by the building materials used. Here, for example, the B26n causes 56 percent higher emissions than officially stated. Hoppe spoke of incorrect calculations and inconsistencies in the Federal Transport Route Plan. This does not even take into account the effects on the subordinate road network, which in the case of the B26n is to be “upgraded” and expanded on a large scale, for example with a feeder road in the direction of Lohr and the third Main bridge there.
“The data is worthless,” says Werner Reh, spokesman for the Transport Working Group at the Federal Environment and Nature Conservation Association (Berlin). The official figures are not detailed enough and climate effects are neglected. However, the Federal Ministry of Transport lacks the political will to make corrections here. A moratorium is needed until it is clear whether a project is reducing greenhouse gas pollution instead of increasing it.
Where does the BN want to start with its demands? It is an exciting question how courts will assess climate protection in lawsuits against road construction projects in the future, said Mergner; it is hoped that case law will change here. The topic is also up for debate in the upcoming state elections in Bavaria. Mergner appealed to the Greens in Berlin to implement the coalition agreement, according to which the federal transport route plan had to be reviewed and projects should not simply be implemented.
The BN demands are met with little understanding in the Bavarian Ministry of Transport. At the request of our media company, Minister Christian Bernreiter sent the following message through his press office: »Whether the CO2-The Federal Minister of Transport must assess whether the calculations for the Federal Transport Route Plan are correct. Putting all Bavarian road construction projects on hold is out of the question.«
The demand is completely unfounded and is just another attempt to “advance the culture war against the car”. Especially in rural areas, not everyone can go to work by bike or train, and buses, shared taxis and electric cars also need roads, according to the letter from the ministry.
Heinz Scheid
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