Car traffic is a serious problem for the planet, affecting not only air quality but also the good condition of cities. In response, some radical proposals have suggested extreme measures such as the temporary elimination of vehicles to mitigate their environmental impact.
Although this may sound extreme, it is a reflection of the urgency with which we must act to protect the environment. In this context, Volker Wissing, German Transport Minister, launched a controversial proposal last Friday, April 12, that could change the way Germans use their cars on weekends.
Wissing proposed banning traffic on summer Saturdays and Sundays to comply with the climate protection law. This law requires significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and the transportation sector has been one of the furthest behind in achieving these goals.
The current climate protection law stipulates that ministries responsible for sectors that fail to meet their targets must implement programs to comply with them immediately. However, the Ministry of Transport had until now avoided establishing a specific plan for its sector, arguing that proposed amendments to the law would allow exceptions if the country’s total emissions remained within the limits set.
Negotiations on these amendments have been underway since September last year within the ruling coalition, which includes the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the pro-business FDP. Wissing has pushed hard to get the changes approved before mid-July, warning that otherwise he would be forced to enforce the weekend driving ban to comply with current law.
In a recent letter to the leaders of the coalition’s parliamentary groups, the minister insisted that “only with restrictive measures that are difficult to communicate to the population, such as the ban on driving on weekends on a national scale and for an indefinite period , the necessary traffic reduction could be achieved.”
So far, the proposal to ban weekend driving in Germany is just that, a proposal. But this intention has been harshly criticized by both coalition partners and environmental groups, who have described the measure as irresponsible alarmism that does not contribute to climate protection efforts.
