-
fromFabian Scheuermann
–
conclude
–
German environmental aid is suing for clean air in Offenbach: the city wants to score points with a comprehensive package of measures at the court hearing in September.
On September 14, the Administrative Court in Kassel hears a lawsuit by the German environmental aid against the state of Hesse. This time it is about the implementation of better air quality in Offenbach, where – like in many places – too high concentrations of the irritant gas nitrogen dioxide are still measured regularly. The city and country have now drawn up a new air quality plan for Offenbach, which contains many measures to improve air quality by the end of 2021. This is to prevent driving bans for diesel in Hesse’s fifth largest city.
How is the current situation?In Offenbach, too, the limit values for nitrogen dioxide – 40 micrograms per cubic meter of air as an annual average – continue to be exceeded on several road sections, although the values have been falling for years. “It is going in the right direction, but it is still not enough,” says Offenbach’s environmental director Heike Hollerbach. Air quality has improved significantly since the beginning of the corona pandemic – because there are significantly fewer cars on the road.
What is planned in Offenbach?On three main roads – Mainstrasse, Waldstrasse and Kaiserstrasse – the permissible maximum speed on sections is reduced from 50 to 40 kilometers per hour. At 30 km / h, poorer air can be expected, because the traffic runs more smoothly at 40 km / h. The city also reprogrammed 60 traffic lights with a lot of effort in order to further improve the flow of traffic and prevent traffic jams. Hollerbach describes the conversion of the bus fleet to electric drive as “one of the most important measures” – at the end of 2021, 36 of 87 city buses are to run on electricity. In order to do justice to the growing share of electrically powered private vehicles, a concept for charging stations in the city area is also to be created. Bicycle traffic is also strengthened: several bicycle roads are already under construction or finished.
So there is no truck passage ban?Such a ban is optional – should the court judge the other measures as insufficient. A passage ban would mean more vices in the east of Frankfurt, in Mühlheim and Hanau and on the motorways around Offenbach. So-called gatekeepers are also only supposed to come: With these, the city could limit the influx of cars during rush hour – but this would probably lead to traffic jams on the outskirts.
And if there are driving bans anyway?The Hessian Ministry of the Environment calculated the effectiveness of the planned measures “very conservatively,” says Hollerbach. This is the main reason why the Offenbach delegation is “very confident” in the negotiations.
How high are the costs?
The city does not name a total. However, the improvement in traffic flow through new traffic light controls already costs around 7.9 million euros. Funding has been applied for for all measures.
–
Related posts:
