Citing environmental concerns, state Environment Minister Rainer Loske has enacted a plan to limit Bremen's section of the Autobahn to 120 km/h (about 75 mph). Loske reckons that the speed limit will cut tailpipe emissions by five percent. In the future, the limit would [somehow] reduce emissions by 15 percent. I think Garfield (the cat, not the dead president) put it best: "Big fat hairy deal." As one of TTAC's most environmentally conscious contributors (i,e, "a perfect example of a hypocritical hyper-car loving tree hugger"), let me be the first to condemn this idiotic bullshit misguided mandate. Bremen could achieve the same greenhouse gas reductions by stipulating that drivers keep their tires properly inflated. Also, how much is this limit actually saving if it turns a two-hour trip into a three-hour journey? My guess? Not much. The good news: Bremen only has jurisdiction over 60 km of Autobahn. If you were traveling at 300 km/h, it would take just five minutes to surmount. Sigh… The limit goes into effect today, April 9, 2008. How do you say "slippery slope" in German?
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This is not anything new for the Autobahn. There are limits over hundreds of miles of Autobahn already and there is already a limit when passing through the city of Bremen.
And it would take 12 minutes at 300 km/hr for 60km and the newer cars are governed at 250km/hr.
Environment Minister Rainer Loske gets to brag about his global warming actions, that’s most important. And how dare you question anything that saves the planet? Remember the debate is over.
I think the magical 15% reduction comes from the assumption that, with a nation-wide speed limit, people would further downsize their cars’ engines.
Yeah right. Speed limits = small engines, as seen in the US.
Funny thing about Germany’s reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is not that they have decreased, its how. Because of the high cost of labor and energy, much of Germany’s industrial infrastructure is disappearing from German soil. A classic example is one of Germany’s huge steel mills that was located in the Ruhr Valley. A major polluter for years, it is now gone. Gone to China, that is. Bought by the Chinese and reassembled in Handan, it will continue to spew gases for years to come. The global picture is not one bit improved, but Germany’s scorecard has. Now by lowering speed limits, you begin to erase the primary reason why German cars feel and handle the way they are: Safe high speed handling need the attentive design that is given to cars like BMW. Remove that, and you get a car like the new Jetta. Once the portal into the realm of German sport sedans, it is now a softie.
All that being said, it is important to reduce emissions, but do so in a meaningful manner, not using smoke and mirrors. Reviewer Liberman is correct: proper maintenance could achieve the same thing. But lets look further. Is it really emissions that are the target? Seems to me this offers a way to bump the take in ticket revenue under the guise of something else. Wow, I guess the Germans did see somethings in America that they want to copy.
Speed limits have already been in place for over 15 years on various stretches when approaching most all major cities. There are still many miles of Autobahn that still have no limit. I don’t see a huge impact one way or another. More than likely this is just another example of more political passengers jumping on the “Green Bandwagon”
German moving violations are an order of magnitude more expensive than in America too – they are based on a percentage of your yearly income.
rutschiger Abhang? Maybe…
Anyway, yeah, there are many stretches of Autobahn that are limited already. The drive from to Stuttgart from Karlsruhe along the A8 has many sections that are limited to 130 km/h (I spent many years living in and working around that area). Still, there are also several stretches where one can ring the living bejeebers out of a car, if one so desires. A 5% reduction is all well and good, but as others have said, this appears more politically motivated than anything else and doesn’t fundamentally alter the current driving conditions in Germany.
So some Euro wanting to save the planet by reducing the speed limit is an idiot, but those rednecks in West Texas with their 80 mile an hour speed limits are gun toting, Bush loving, planet hating idoits.
Makes sense.
When you are travelling at 250km/hr you are burning a lot of fuel per km and producing corresponding huge amounts of greenhouse gasses. Often you will make better time travelling slower and not needing to stop for fuel. The German politicians book down the Autobahn at high speed with big V8 cars and a blue flashing light on the roof. Like most of the AGW gang they apparently consider the reduction of greenhouse gasses does not pertain to them.
Slippery slope (road) in German is: Schlitter bahn