Germany Bans More Environmentally Friendly Cars From City Centres
KEN Livingstone has his congestion charge for driving in London. But in Germany things go further:
Drivers in Berlin, Cologne and Hanover are now required to display a coloured badge showing the level of pollution caused by their vehicle, with a scale of red, yellow and green.
Some vehicles, notably an estimated 1.7 million old diesel cars and vans, will not qualify for even the most polluting red badge and will be prohibited from driving in central areas.
Drivers without a badge caught in the city centre will face a 40-euro (60-dollar) fine and will be docked a point on their driving license.
The system is to be extended to about 20 German cities in the course of the year, including Stuttgart and Munich.
So drivers of, say, delivery vans, cars run on economic diesel and old cars that the owner has hung onto in the face of temptation to just buy new will be penalised? And the drivers of new vehicles – second, third, fourth cars – will be able to go free?
And this will save the environment? Any economist able to tell us the opportunity cost/benefit to the environment of keeping an old car and not buying a new one, please do so…
Posted: 15th, January 2008 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
