The European Union's environment commissioner has suggested that speed limits be placed on Germany's autobahn -- one of the last roadways in the world with sections unhindered by speed limits. The EU says limits would help reduce carbon emissions.
"Now, though, Germany's love of speed is colliding with its fears about global warming, as it becomes clear that its Sunday race-car drivers are needlessly spewing tons of carbon dioxide into the air."
"Last week, the European Union's environment commissioner, Stavros Dimas, set off a national debate here by suggesting that the German government introduce a general speed limit on the autobahn."
"To be sure, half the 12,000 kilometers of autobahn already have speed limits, as do smaller roads. There are also temporary limits for road work and other hazards on the autobahn. But the anything-goes stretches are the fastest public roads in the world."
"This is 'a trivialization of the climate problem,' declared the German environment minister, Sigmar Gabriel. The German Association of the Automotive Industry said Germans needed 'no coaching' from other Europeans on how to protect the climate."
"Even Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has put climate change at the top of her agenda as president of the European Union and the Group of 8 industrial nations, opposes a uniform speed limit."
Read the full story: Talk of speed limits on autobahn revs up Germans
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
Colorado’s Largest Data Center Could Rise Next to Homes — Without a Public Hearing
The proposed campus would consume 11 times the power of Denver International Airport; as it has across the country, opposition mounts.
Nation's most wind-powered state turns to coal as data centers increase energy demand
For the first time in decades, Iowa has increased its generation of coal power.
NYC cools commuters with city's first rain garden above a bus stop
New York City officials say the plants in the rain garden can absorb 16 gallons of rainwater during heavy storms.
Brightline West’s future may rely on $6 billion federal loan
The company has until Nov. 2 to make a $400 million equity investment into its proposed high-speed rail line.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association