More clarity: Wissing criticizes federal states
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing has demanded more clarity from the federal states on transport policy. "I call on the transport ministers of the federal states to better coordinate the positions they represent at the Conference of Transport Ministers within their state governments in future," the FDP politician told the German Press Agency in Mainz on Saturday.
"Both on the issue of financing the Deutschlandticket and the Road Traffic Act, the demands of the transport ministers often do not match the decisions of their own state governments," criticized Wissing. "This not only leads to uncertainty among citizens and local authorities, but also makes political and legislative processes extremely difficult."
Law fails in the Bundesrat
A law on new road traffic regulations passed by the Bundestag and requiring approval failed to achieve the required majority in the Bundesrat on Friday. It was intended to give cities and municipalities more leeway, for example for the establishment of bus lanes and 30 km/h zones. "We wanted to give local authorities more room for maneuver on the ground," said Wissing afterwards. "However, this is obviously not what the federal states want."
The law also stipulated that, in addition to the fluidity and safety of traffic, climate and environmental protection, health and urban development objectives should also be taken into account. As it did not receive a majority, the Bundesrat removed an amendment to the Road Traffic Act based on it from the agenda.
It was envisaged that local authorities would also be able to set up "special lanes" to test climate-friendly mobility - for example for e-cars, hydrogen vehicles or cars with several occupants. There should also be more flexibility for residents' parking zones, bus lanes and cycle paths. It should be easier to set a 30 km/h speed limit, for example on stretches of road near playgrounds and school routes as well as in gaps between two 30 km/h zones, so that traffic flows more easily.
Despite Volker Wissing's advocacy for the Federal Council to align their positions on transport policies, such as the Deutschlandticket funding and the Road Traffic Act, discrepancies between federal states and their own governments continue to occur, creating confusion among citizens and municipalities. In a recent attempt to give municipalities more freedom in implementing road traffic regulations, a law proposed by Wissing failed to gain approval in the Bundesrat, indicating opposing views from the federal states.
Source: www.dpa.com
