German Transport Minister Volker Wissing has rejected the idea of introducing a speed limit of 120 kilometres per hour on motorways, despite a report by the Federal Environment Agency showing that it could reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Wissing cited public opinion against such measures as the main reason for the government’s stance, on Tuesday, the 2nd of April, reports Politico.
“People don’t want it,” he said. “There are so many numbers floating around. The most important thing is that only measures that are accepted can be successful.”
Germany is reportedly the only industrialised country where there is no maximum speed limit on certain motorways and the debate on its introduction often turns into a heated debate.
However, for several years now, there has been a growing acceptance of the introduction of a speed limit.
As many as 54% of the members of the German Automobile Club, Europe’s largest automobile association, have voted in favour of introducing a speed limit in 2023.
In August 2023, the German Climate Expert Council confirmed that the government is not ready to meet the 2030 climate targets, given that the transport and construction sectors are in particular causing problems.
The report, which prompted the transport minister to react, has highlighted significant gaps regarding the status of implementation and the degree of concretisation of the measures included in the 2023 Climate Protection Programme.
Wissing is a member of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), which has rejected the introduction of speed limits in its party programme, along with the far-right Alternative for Germany and the conservative Christian Democratic Union. Environmentalists and traffic experts have previously accused the FDP of representing the interests of the car industry.
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