Just hope this is not coming to the UK

[Tempest 0]

According to the news and forums in Germany, all cars in Germany will have to display yet another sticker in the windscreen as of March 2007, indicating the vehicle's emission class. In Germany all vehicles are categorised according to their emissions (no sirree, not nearly as simple or fair as in the UK), e.g. things as Euro 1, Euro 2, D3, and whatnot more.

 

Now for the bad news:

 

In an attempts to meet some obscure and greenparty-induced rubbish regulation from Brussel, that's been in existence for the last 10 years or so, Germany has now realised that it needs to meet this regulation or else. What's this regulation about?

 

It defines how much fine particle emission is allowed to be present in any one plave within the EU. Apparently, centres of large cities have a much higher concentration of fine particle dust, and this apparently contributes to bad air, bad health etc.

 

Soooo, in a blitz-attempt, the German government have dremed up the following solution to meet this EU regulation:

 

Ban all vehicles from the centres of participating cities (Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, München, to name just 3) with a certain emission figure, indicated by the above-mentioned sticker attached to the windscreen.

 

This means that approximately 2 million cars are affected in Germany, can no longer drive through these cities any more, forcing their owners to potentially scrap their pride and joy (yes: Sciroccos and Corrados are pretty much all affected !!!!!) and get the German economy going again (or so the government and car-lobby hope) by buying some crap new Germna car, that no-one can afford, not to mention no-one likes the styling of.

 

Of course, this all will hopefully tremendously backfire as:

 

a) Without cars in the city centres, customers for local shops in major inner city shopping areas will go elsewhere, thus killing off whole inner city economies

 

b) Poorer people cannot afford new cars, or have to take out huge loans (of course also available from your friendly German car dealer/maker)

 

c) Poorer people will buy foreign cars instead, hence NOT supporting the German industry at all, as that's often all they can afford

 

d) Oldtimers, which cannot be modified to meet new emission laws (including some Sciroccos and Corrados) will not be allowed to enter city centres any more, thus people living in these cities will never be able to see oldtimers or classic cars in their cities ever again.

 

e) Some potentially really nice cars will end up on the scrap (just like the car industry wants this to happen, we hang on to our cars far too long in their opinion, we're not supposed to love our cars, we're supposed to view them as utilitarian things, like fridges, throw away, buy new)

 

f) Lots of poorer people actually live in the city centres, and hence can't drive home in their cars any more !!!

 

Until 2012 this new law will be expanded to larger parts of the participating cities (not just the inner city centres).

 

It's a question of time till the b*stard green parties and lobbies have it their way, and even the country-side might be affected, i.e. all old cars will be banned!!

 

How's that for a country like Germany that always shouts about its car heritage and its value to its citizens?

 

Apart from the fact that it has been shown, that most of the fine dust particles do not stem from the vehicles' petrol or diesel (well, yes, I'm in favour of getting rid of those nasty noisy things :lol:) emissions rather than tyre roll, industry, nature (yes, tree pollen!!), and that by banning older cars this might only reduce the fine particle dust emissions by as little as 5%!

 

Madness, sheer madness!

 

Let's hope the UK won't follow too quickly, given that Tony Blair's government has also discovered the green bandwagon of banning cars (looking at introducing road charges etc.).

 

Tempest

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Just another example of greeneys taking pot shots at motorists as they're easier to victimise than heavy industry, air/sea polluters, public transport etc.

 

I really don't mind tuning my car for economy and burning E85 instead of Gas to do my bit, I'd enjoy the challenge, but when they come up with stupid blanket schemes like this, it pisses people off.

[Yandards 0]

What annoys me about these hairbrained schemes is that when it comes to a car owned by an enthusiast they are usually in much better running condition than those owned by people who only see their car as a utility or appliance.

 

My question would be how does this work for cars from other EU countries? (Can I take my C for a spin around Berlin for instance?)

[ReekieVR 0]

I know this isnt a debate forum, but do you have a cite for this story, Mr Tempest?

[Tempest 0]

but do you have a cite for this story, Mr Tempest?

 

Certainly do, albeit it German only ;-)

 

http://www.spiegel.de/auto/aktuell/0,1518,455300,00.html

http://www.spiegel.de/auto/aktuell/0,1518,457812,00.html

 

My question would be how does this work for cars from other EU countries? (Can I take my C for a spin around Berlin for instance?)

 

Strictly speaking yes, I was told, but, of course, how is a foreign license plate car supposed to get such a sticker (the authorities even want 10 Euros for this sticker), let alone which German emission group a foreign license plate car falls into.

 

 

Tempest

[_leon_ 0]

truly makes you wonder what the world is coming to. frightening really... i was chatting to a guy who works for the navy over xmas - he told me that once they accidentally dropped 90tonnes of fuel (cant remember which) into the atlantic. and they're worrying about particles in the air... its ridiculous

[NickVR6 0]

ebay.de the place to be in march then !

 

sorry, if you don't laugh you'll cry, its mad and very annoying people don't sit down, do the sum and think about these things properly ffs

[dr_mat 0]

How are they planning on rating cars that are no longer made? All legislation on emissions has to be backed up with scientific tests carried out by the car manufacturer themselves, under supervision of the DoT, to be sure that it's a fair sample of the type of vehicle.

[Tempest 0]

to be sure that it's a fair sample of the type of vehicle

 

Who said stuff the government dream up is to be fair? :lol:

 

All cars have been pretty much emission rated in Germany, even Sciroccos with carbs, no CATs, etc, way back in the 80s, when all this started. Back then the first wave of perfectly good cars landing on the scrap started, when the government encouraged people to buy cars with CATs, by increasing the roadtax beyond belief for anyone driving a car without a CAT.

 

Tempest

[dr_mat 0]

Well they haven't been tested in the UK, so even if something similar did come in, it couldn't be made retrospective.

[Skimask 0]

Well they haven't been tested in the UK, so even if something similar did come in, it couldn't be made retrospective.

 

Oh yes it can - if the government has a sniff at a new tax that's going to make money........I'm being to cynical - they wouldn't do that....would they :D :D

[dr_mat 0]

They could apply a tax, but they couldn't base it on emissions that were never tested..

Of course they *will* continue to apply a tax, but us owners of old cars are only ever going to be paying the "default" road tax rate.

[ReekieVR 0]

Here is the link Tempest gave translated by google if anyone interested.

 

Reading it gives me a headache tho :

 

(Accordingly excited today the reactions were after becoming known the message. “The whole is a disaster”, said Maximilian bricklayer of the general German automobile club)