Municipal Companies are the Most Potential Originators of Nitrogen Oxide
Service buses of the public traffic and municipal commercial vehicles are one of the biggest issuers of nitrogen oxides.
Municipal authorities are obliged to equip their vehicles with an efficient reduction technology, especially their buses; older vehicles have to be replaced quickly by modern buses set to Euro 6 standard.
As such steps mean noticeable costs, no sufficient consequences are taken in most cases – despite the bad air quality and despite the lasting transgression of the prescribed limit values.
For this reason the German Environmental Aid and the BUND (Association for the Environment an Nature Conservation) repeatedly placed complaints against the persons in charge who are responsible for the designing of the clean air plans. These can either be communities or responsible federal states.
Until now, the courts gave right to the complainers and the respective town or appropriate authority of a federal state is requested to take measures against the restriction of nitrogen dioxide. Especially judgements referring to the air quality in Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Hanover are concerned.
The Blue Badge for Diesel Restriction Zones
In Germany, the Blue Badge might be introduced in 2020. It is required to access diesel restriction zones.
In 2020, cities and communities will introduce driving restrictions for various EURO classes of diesel vehicles. Therefore, the Blue Badge becomes a need in order to distinguish older diesel vehicles and EURO classes as well as petrol vehicles without particle filter from vehicles with a lower emission of pollutants.
Vehicles which should get a Blue Badge
General information about diesel restriction zones and implementation.
Already set diesel restriction zones (Blue Zones): Hamburg and Stuttgart
Possible cities and municipalities for diesel restriction zones