German motorway speed limit trial scrapped

Plans to trial a 120km/h speed limit on sections of the A81 and A96 motorways in the German state of Baden-Württemberg have been dropped due to ‘legal concerns’.

The trial, announced in January by the Green party transport minister Winfried Hermann, was set to start in the Summer but was cancelled in August following legal advice that resulted in the opposition of the CDU party – who form part of the governing coalition in the state.  Hermann said he now plans to try out speed limits on shorter sections of the route.

The move was heavily criticised by environmental and sustainable transport groups.

ETSC’s German member DVR has said that deaths are 25% higher on stretches of Germany motorways that have no speed limit compared to those with limits.

Photograph by Dirk Vorderstraße – Creative Commons license
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