Category: Auto

Before the landmark hearing at the federal administrative court on driving bans for diesel cars in cities, the demand for the introduction of a blue sticker is growing louder. "The federal government, at least the ministry of transport, seems to be sitting the issue out.

That ends up in our town halls, and that’s not where it belongs," helmut dedy, chief executive of the german city council, told the german press agency. If the court rules that driving bans are permissible, there will be a political debate about the introduction of a blue sticker.

"I don’t see any alternative to the blue badge then," dedy said. Then we can distinguish between new technology and old diesel cars. "For us it would be the only way to distinguish between the worse and the better vehicles. And only if you can distinguish, you can also reasonably deal with a possible driving ban."

Whether the thousandfold quoted saying "he who comes too late, life punishes him" is true or not really comes from former soviet state president mikhail gorbachev is disputed. But yesterday it applied already early on the anger and on the market place. GTI-drivers, who came to the GTI-meeting in the city only at this time, had no chance to find a place to exhibit their mostly high-powered vehicles and had to be content with side-streets and -alleys.

About 800 to 1000 GTI fans from all over germany, but also austria, luxembourg and the netherlands came to the city for the season opener, estimates matthias scholz, who together with sascha vorndran organizes these increasingly popular gatherings. "Apparently, almost no one stayed at home because of the not very good weather", mayor helmut blank (CSU), a self-confessed GTI fan and supporter of the meetings, was delighted.

This time the meeting had already started on saturday with a "angrillen" (barbecue) with burgers, beer and live music. Already to this event quite a few participants had come. They took advantage of the best seats on the anger on saturday already. Others came on sunday from 6 a.M., when there was still plenty of room. Burgermeister helmut blank was very pleased that the kick-off on saturday evening was already well received. He therefore liked the fact that the meeting starts with a supporting program already on friday and then stretches until monday in order to attract even more guests than before and to keep them longer.

Problems with stationary traffic were the central topic at the castle meeting in stadtschwarzach on monday. Among the 80 participants in the "begegnungshaus arche", demands for more traffic control were voiced. Parking on main and side roads had already caused a stir in the castle meetings in gerlachshausen and horblach.

Carmen maesel criticized the parking behavior of drivers at the exits of kolpingstrabe and kardinal-dopfner-strabe onto wurzburger strabe. When entering the main road, the view is often blocked by parked cars, which leads to dangerous situations, says the complainant. In the mentioned area there is a restaurant and a hairdresser’s shop, parking on the wurzburger strabe is allowed.

Appeal to motorists

A lively discussion followed, which ended with an appeal to drivers not to park their vehicles on public roads, but on their own property if possible. Mayor volker schmitt promised the attendees to deal with the topic in the municipal council. In order to work out an overall concept, certain traffic areas will be examined at local meetings, according to the head of the community. In the past, the council had refused to join the traffic monitoring system for stationary traffic. However, because the parking situation in the villages had recently come to a head, the opinion of the council soon changed.