Thursday, January 13, 2022
“Open to areas of experimentation”
Wissing wants to enable more Tempo 30
With the new Federal Minister of Transport there will be no area-wide Tempo 30 in the cities. But it could still be more speed limits, because Wissing wants to give the municipalities more autonomy. He sees no future for combustion cars.
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing wants to give the municipalities more room for maneuver in managing traffic. “The local communities know best what is good for their residents. That is why I am open to different approaches and areas of experimentation,” said the FDP politician to the “Tagesspiegel”. He has had good experiences with not acting ideologically, but flexibly.
Cities could use the flexibility to make cycling and walking safer or to better protect people from noise, emphasized Wissing. A broad alliance of cities would like more room for maneuver from the federal government. The initiative founded in July 2021, which is also supported by the German Association of Cities, has now been joined by over 70 cities.
“But I am not convinced of an area-wide Tempo 30,” said Wissing. This speed limit is “rather less useful” on thoroughfares. The road traffic regulations currently only allow Tempo 30 on main roads if a dangerous situation has been proven. According to Wissing’s plans, it could now be easier for cities to set such speed limits.
Wissing rejected plans for a city toll. “I don’t think much of additional burdens from instruments such as a city toll: Mobility must remain an affordable option for everyone,” said the minister.
“The decision for e-mobility has long been made”
In the discussion about sustainable drives for future cars, Wissing currently sees little potential for synthetic fuels. “We have to use the various energy sources where they are most efficient. In cars, that is the electric drive,” Wissing said to the “Tagesspiegel”. So-called e-fuels are mainly used for air traffic. “In the foreseeable future, however, we will not have enough e-fuels to operate the cars with combustion engines that are now approved.”
In the federal election campaign, the Liberals had campaigned for e-fuels in road traffic. The FDP politician has now rejected it. “If you look at the EU regulation, you can see that the decision in favor of e-mobility has long been made,” said Wissing. “If we force the switch, we will also achieve our climate goals,” he explained.
The aim is for at least 15 million fully electric cars to be registered in 2030. For this, however, a lot has to change. Wissing also sees it as the task of the German automotive industry to convince people. “Tesla has succeeded in delighting many buyers with its models; I would also like the same for the German automobile manufacturers,” said Wissing.
At the same time, the Minister of Transport warned consumers to continue to rely on combustion cars. “We will ensure that charging with renewable electricity remains affordable. That is why I can only advise you to switch to CO2-neutral drives. The use of fossil fuels will become more expensive in the future.”