North Rhine-Westphalia: Tempo 30 in cities? - Regulation mainly in residential areas

According to environmentalists, 30 km/h should apply throughout cities.

North Rhine-Westphalia: Tempo 30 in cities? - Regulation mainly in residential areas

According to environmentalists, 30 km/h should apply throughout cities. Many NRW municipalities have long since implemented the regulation in residential areas. For slower traffic on main roads, however, complicated individual tests are required.

Düsseldorf/Berlin (dpa/lnw) - From the point of view of environmentalists, traffic is still flowing through cities far too quickly. "We demand a 30 km/h speed limit for all urban areas," said Jürgen Resch, the federal manager of the German Environmental Aid (DUH), the German Press Agency in Berlin. Many cities in North Rhine-Westphalia have long been using 30 km/h zones, especially in residential areas and other side streets. On the other hand, an identification on main roads is complicated - which has been criticized by the DUH.

A spokesman for the city of Düsseldorf announced that the city had a 30 km/h speed limit across the entire residential street. For route or road-related restrictions, for example in front of sensitive facilities or for reasons of noise protection, an individual assessment is required. "Another - partly necessary from the point of view of the city administration - expulsion of Tempo 30 is currently still inhibited by the restrictive regulation of the road traffic regulations," said the Düsseldorf spokesman.

Resch from the DUH said that nationwide uniform rules would mean better orientation for drivers. Because of the road traffic regulations, the cities would have very few opportunities to introduce 30 km/h. Strict criteria would have to be met for main roads. "Most and most dangerous traffic does not drive through the side street," he said.

In Dortmund and Siegen, for example, according to the cities, the speed limit is already 30 km/h on about half of the streets. A spokeswoman for the city of Siegen announced that further routes are planned for the coming year, but an expansion of 30 km/h zones is only within the scope of new development areas: "All possible 30 km/h zones have been implemented as far as possible in the existing building." A spokeswoman for the city of Cologne said the same thing. According to a city spokeswoman, 30 km/h zones in residential areas in Münster are rated positively. They served for road safety. Cyclists and pedestrians in particular would be protected.

The DUH hopes that a nationwide 30 km/h limit will result in fewer pollutants in the air, less noise pollution and more road safety.