
It seems some German environmentalists want to pass a 120 km per hour (75 mph) speed limit on the Autobahn. They say that such a speed limit will reduce the global warming contributing greenhouse gases by up to 30%. Germany’s transport minister Wolfgang Tiefensee rejected the proposal, saying “I am committed to a reduction in emissions but a general speed limit on open stretches of road does not make sense.” I couldn’t agree more. The ACE motorists association said “With its demands for a speed limit, the Environment Agency is just attempting to reheat a discussion which came to an end ages ago.” The car lobby argued that that roads free of limits encourage German manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche, Volkswagen and Opel to make safer cars, securing jobs.
The Autobahn has always been something of pride and tradition to the Germans, and I don’t think this will ever be passed, but the idea still irritates me. Fact of the matter is, there is no way to please hippies environmentalists. Congested traffic moving at a slow speed is much worse for the environment and gives off more emissions than a few cars moving at 120 mph. How do we fix that? We can either increase speed limits, or build more roads; either of which we will hear complaining. Stop wasting your time on this and focus on building more fuel efficient vehicles.



