State wants to better protect people from noise

New action plan - State wants to better protect people from noise

The country aims to better protect people in Baden-Württemberg from traffic noise and presents a new action plan for this purpose. "Noise is a major and one of the most underestimated environmental burdens for people. It can make you sick," said Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann (Greens). With a noise action plan, one wants to ensure that no one is exposed to health-endangering noise anymore.

More than 750 cities and municipalities are obligated by the EU to draw up plans for noise protection. However, many small communities often fail to create these plans on time, according to a statement. With a statewide noise action plan, it will be ensured that there will be a noise action plan everywhere, said Transport State Secretary Elke Zimmer (Greens). For affected residents this is important. Since the noise action plans are approximately binding for authorities, as Zimmer pointed out. "If such a plan states that a speed limit of 30 km/h is sensible to achieve noise reduction, then there is no traffic authority left that says no, we won't do that."

We have already achieved a lot in the south with noise protection, for example through speed limits, road repairs or the use of quieter road surfaces, as Zimmer explained. Nevertheless, there are still hundreds of thousands of people who are exposed to critical noise levels on the streets all day long.

1. Winfried Kretschmann, the Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg and a Green Party member, emphasized the importance of the government's new action plan to tackle traffic noise, stating it as a significant and underestimated health hazard.
2. The proposed noise action plan aims to ensure that no resident in Baden-Württemberg is exposed to health-damaging noise levels, a responsibility that the state secretary of transport, Elke Zimmer, highlighted.
3. Stuttgart and other cities in Baden-Württemberg have seen improvements in traffic noise reduction through initiatives such as speed limits, road repairs, and the use of quieter road surfaces, as outlined by Transport State Secretary Elke Zimmer.
4. As part of the new action plan, local authorities in Baden-Württemberg will be expected to adhere to the noise action plans, ensuring strict traffic noise regulations, such as a 30 km/h speed limit for noise reduction, as Elke Zimmer explained.

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