Weekend driving ban

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The weekend driving ban or the Sunday driving ban is an imposed ban on driving on Sundays and public holidays, including for trucks with a total weight of 3.5 to 7.5 tons, depending on the state. It is used in whole or in part in Germany , France , Greece , Italy , Liechtenstein , Luxembourg , Austria , Romania , Poland , Switzerland , Slovenia , the Czech Republic and Hungary .

The national Sunday and public holiday driving bans for trucks are controversial within the European Union and have been on the agenda of the EU Council of Ministers since 1999.

Justification of the weekend driving ban

The weekend driving ban is intended to serve the Sunday rest and is also justified with noise protection and environmental protection. The noise and the exhaust fumes of more emitting trucks disturb the weekend rest of those who need the weekend to recover from the work week. The relief of the increased private traffic volume on weekends from additional traffic loads from trucks is cited in favor of the regulation of heavy goods traffic.

Germany

Driving ban on Sundays and public holidays

In the Federal Republic of Germany, there has been a driving ban on Sundays and public holidays from midnight to 10 p.m. since May 1, 1956, for trucks over 7.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight and for all trucks with a trailer regardless of their gross vehicle weight carry with them. The ban only applies to the commercial or paid transport of goods and associated empty trips (as of 2017). The ban applies across Germany on the nine national holidays. On the non-national holidays of Corpus Christi , Reformation Day and All Saints' Day , the driving ban only applies in certain federal states (see Section 30, Paragraph 4 of the Road Traffic Act). The ban does not apply to pure tractors or semitrailer tractors that cannot take a load and do not have a semi-trailer or trailer. The ban is regulated in Section 30, Paragraph 3 of the Road Traffic Act (StVO).

Immediate legal exceptions

According to Section 30 (3) sentence 2 StVO, the following are excluded from the ban :

  • the combined freight rail -Straße from the shipper to the nearest suitable loading station or from the nearest suitable unloading station to the receiver, but only up to a distance of 200 km
  • the combined freight transport port- road between the loading or unloading point and a port located within a radius of no more than 150 km (delivery or removal)
  • Perishable goods including an additional load of max. 10% other goods upon delivery of
    • fresh milk and fresh milk products,
    • fresh meat and fresh meat products,
    • fresh fish, live fish and fresh fish products,
    • perishable fruit and vegetables,
    • and the empty journeys associated with these journeys ,
  • Trips with vehicles that are used by the authorities in the event of a defense or an internal emergency under the Federal Services Act

According to § 35 StVO there are also exceptions for vehicles of the state and federal police, road services and the road administration, the German armed forces and NATO troops and the fire brigade and disaster control .

Official exceptions

The road traffic authorities can issue exceptions to the Sunday driving ban in accordance with Section 46 (1) No. 7 StVO in individual cases or in general.

A catalog of general exceptions was decided by the Transport Ministers' Conference on October 9th and 10th, 2007, in order to standardize the very different approval practices of the competent authorities. This catalog stipulates that the driving ban on Sundays and public holidays, in addition to the exceptions regulated in the StVO, should generally not apply to:

  • Tractors that are used only to pull other vehicles
  • Tractors and semitrailer tractors with an auxiliary loading area, the payload of which is not more than 0.4 times the gross vehicle weight
  • Vehicles in which the transported objects belong to the inventory, such as exhibition, film and television vehicles as well as showman vehicles (also with trailers)
  • self-propelled machines
  • Use of rescue, towing and repair vehicles
  • Caravan trailers and trailers that are used for sport and leisure purposes behind trucks with a permissible total weight of up to 3.5 tons

Holiday travel regulation

Truck driving ban graphic

In July and August of each year, according to the ordinance to facilitate holiday travel on the road, there is also a driving ban on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for those vehicles for which the Sunday driving ban also applies. In contrast to this, which applies on all roads, the Saturday driving ban during the holidays only applies on certain motorway routes and federal highways. Section 1 of the Holiday Travel Ordinance shows which routes are affected .

Exceptions can be granted for urgent cases in which transport by other means of transport is not possible.

Motivation for the ban in Germany

In Germany, the Federal Association of Freight Transport, Logistics and Disposal eV (BGL), in which freight transport companies have come together, advocates the Sunday driving ban.

In addition to the general motivations mentioned at the beginning, German transport companies also argue that if the Sunday driving ban is abolished, all professional drivers (BKF) who are employed will not be allowed to work unless they would, due to the general ban on Sunday work according to Section 9 ArbZG transport perishable goods. The Sunday driving ban is therefore not a major cause of the problems mentioned. A criticism of the transport companies against the driving bans does not get to the core of the problem either, because the interest that the investments made in the truck pay off would be countered by unproductive downtimes. The greatest possible and flexible use of the truck is followed by the interest in maximum availability and flexibility of the necessary BKF. The entrepreneur would therefore use the truck on Sunday if this were not prohibited. The BKF would then also have to be out on Sunday. Regulations are indispensable so that the use of the BKF, which is primarily oriented towards exploitation interests, does not lead to a complete disregard of its needs.

History of the driving ban

The Sunday and public holiday ban for trucks came into effect in the Federal Republic of Germany for the first time on May 1, 1956. Inter- zone traffic (“Berlin traffic”) was excluded. Critics feared a threat to public services.

The holiday travel time regulation on the weekends on the motorways began on June 27, 1969. At the beginning of the holidays in 1969, the motorways were closed to lorry use on Sundays except for very few and short motorway sections and "Berlin traffic". With the exception of a few sections, trucks with their fresh products were only allowed to use the federal highways on Sundays. In 1977 this strict ban on certain motorway routes was relaxed again.

As a reaction to the oil crisis , a general Sunday driving ban was introduced in the Federal Republic of Germany on four Sundays, including for car traffic. November 25th and December 2nd, 9th and 16th 1973 were car-free. Exceptions were made for supplies and public transport. Trucks with fresh food were also exempt from driving and were allowed to use the motorways. In addition, the “Berlinverkehr” was spared the driving ban again. In addition to Germany, five other European countries took part in the ban. The official goal of the campaign was to save oil, which had become scarce due to a reduction in production by the OPEC . Another reason for the measure was to make the population aware of the seriousness of the situation.

The effects of the ban were more of a symbolic nature, as the amount of fuel saved was minimal. However, a first rethinking of energy and environmental aspects began at that time. The "Berlinverkehr" was also exempted from the ban on Sundays and public holidays until October 3, 1990 ( reunification ) as road transport between the Federal Republic of Germany and West Berlin .

Due to the spread of the corona virus , the Sunday and public holiday ban was temporarily lifted at the beginning of 2020 to ensure the supply of goods - also in transit traffic. In some federal states, the lifting of the ban expired at the end of April 2020, in others the lifting will apply until September. So has z. B. Schleswig-Holstein extended the lifting of the ban until June 30, 2020.

France

In France there is a driving ban on Sundays and public holidays for all trucks over 7.5 tonnes in the entire road network, which begins on Saturday or the day before the holiday at 10:00 p.m. and ends on Sunday or public holiday at 10:00 p.m. There are exceptions for the transport of live animals or perishable food (fresh, chilled or frozen products of animal origin; fresh fruit and vegetables; cut flowers), provided that the quantity of goods makes up at least half the volume or half the payload of the truck. Different regulations apply to the transport of dangerous goods; additional driving bans on certain route sections are possible.

Italy

On Sundays in Italy there are driving bans for trucks over 7.5 tonnes on all roads outside residential centers, from June to September between 7 a.m. and midnight, in the other months from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Austria

In Austria , heavy goods vehicles and articulated vehicles over 7.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight are prohibited from driving between Saturday 3 p.m. and Sunday 10 p.m. The start on Saturday can be brought forward to 8 a.m.

In Austria there is a general weekend driving ban for:

  • Trucks, self-propelled machines and articulated vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of more than 7.5 tons
  • for trucks with trailers , if either the truck or the trailer towed by it has a gross vehicle weight of more than 3.5 tons

Since articulated vehicles (without semitrailers) are not considered to be trucks but rather tractors , journeys with these vehicles are not covered by the weekend driving ban.

An extension of the driving ban will apply for 2019, when transit trucks are no longer allowed to drive on 10 winter weekends from 7 a.m.

Exceptions apply in Austria for rides that only the following trip purposes are:

  • Carriage of slaughtered cattle or cattle
  • Transport of perishable food
  • Beverage supply in excursion areas
  • repairs to cooling systems that cannot be postponed
  • Towing service and roadside assistance
  • Use in disaster situations
  • Road maintenance vehicles to maintain road traffic
  • Use of public security vehicles
  • the garbage disposal
  • the use of vehicles from a regular service company to maintain regular service
  • transports of the armed forces that cannot be postponed

Driving with self-propelled agricultural machinery is also permitted. In addition, journeys in the local area are permitted on the last two Saturdays before December 24th. However, this exception does not apply to the transport of large cattle on motorways .

In addition, there is a general ban on driving at night (applies every day of the year) for all trucks over 7.5 tons from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. Exceptions:

  1. Trips with low-noise vehicles in accordance with Section 8b of the Motor Vehicle Act Implementation Ordinance (KDV) 1967, where a confirmation certified by the manufacturer in accordance with Section 8b (4) KDV is carried along with a round green board with a diameter of at least 20 centimeters, a white border and a white one letter L are marked which is to be adjacent to the front license plate;
  2. Journeys within the framework of combined road / rail or inland waterway transport to and from certain train stations and ports on associated road sections in both directions.

Only within the framework of combined transport can additional services be carried out within a radius of 65 kilometers, from the loading or unloading stations or loading and unloading ports specified by ordinance . ( RoLa )

For trucks with trailers: Milk transport as well as non-postponable journeys with trucks of the armed forces with trailers.

Romania

Although there is no general weekend driving ban for trucks in Romania, there is a driving ban on the A1 and A2 motorways and on most national highways on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the main travel season between June 15 and September 15 Trucks over 7.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight.

In addition, trucks over 7.5 tons are prohibited from driving on the E 60 between Bucharest and Brașov all year round on Saturdays and Sundays from midnight to midnight and on public holidays from 6am to 10pm. Between Bucharest and Ploieşti , the driving ban already applies to trucks over 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight.

The driving bans do not apply to the transport of live animals and perishable food.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, according to Art. 91 VRV, there is a driving ban on Sundays and public holidays for heavy motor vehicles, commercial tractors and work motor vehicles, articulated vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of more than 5 tons as well as for vehicles with a trailer with a gross vehicle weight of more than 5 tonnes on the entire road network than 3.5 tons. Furthermore, a night driving ban between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. also applies to the above-mentioned vehicles . Exceptions are made by the Federal Office of Police or by the canton into which the vehicle is being driven, which can then issue the exemption permits.

Since only a few public holidays are regulated at federal level in Switzerland, the regulations in the respective cantons must be observed when driving the relevant motor vehicle on public holidays. If a public holiday is not a public holiday in a canton or part of a canton, the Sunday driving ban does not apply either. On cantonal or regional public holidays, through traffic (e.g. on national motorways or cantonal motorways) is not affected by the driving ban.

Spain

General driving bans

In Spain, there is no general driving ban on Sundays and public holidays, with the exception of the transport of dangerous goods. On certain days (on Sundays and public holidays between 8 a.m. and midnight, as well as at the beginning and end of the summer holidays), regional driving bans may be imposed due to the expected traffic density - especially on the national roads to Barcelona and Madrid - which are published at short notice via the Spanish press to be announced.

The following driving bans apply to trucks with a total weight of over 3.5 tons on the access roads to Madrid:

  • out of Madrid, Friday from 3pm to midnight, Saturday from 10am to 3pm
  • in the direction of Madrid, on Sundays from 3pm to midnight
  • on the N601, M501, M505 on Fridays from 3 p.m. to midnight, Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays from 3 p.m. to midnight in both directions

Transport of dangerous goods

There is a general driving ban for the transport of dangerous goods:

  • on Sundays and public holidays from 8 a.m. to midnight
  • on July 1st and 31st and on August 1st of each year all day
  • the day before a public holiday - but not on Saturdays - from 3 p.m. to midnight

Hungary

In Hungary, there is a general driving ban for trucks over 7.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight, which applies from 10 p.m. on Saturday or the day before a public holiday for 24 hours. In addition to the transport of live animals and perishable goods, vehicles without cargo on the way from the border to the Hungarian loading point are exempt from the ban, which must be proven by appropriate papers.

In addition, on August 19, the day before the Hungarian national holiday , there is a driving ban for trucks over 7.5 tons from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Rest of Europe

In Andorra , transit traffic to France is prohibited before and on French driving ban days, in Belgium transit traffic to France and Germany is prohibited on Sundays, and in Luxembourg transit traffic to France, Germany and Belgium is prohibited on weekends.

From summer 2009 (until the end of August) there will also be a weekend driving ban in Poland . In Denmark , Sweden , Norway , Finland , Estonia , Latvia , Lithuania , Portugal and the Netherlands, there are no weekend, Sunday or public holiday driving bans.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Decision of the Conference of Transport Ministers on 9/10 October 2007 in Merseburg (PDF; 209 kB), item 7.1 of the agenda, accessed on November 27, 2015.
  2. ↑ According to the decree StVO 1/2008 of the Senator for Environment, Building, Transport and Europe of the State of Bremen from April 1, 2008 (PDF, 261 kB), accessed on November 27, 2015.
  3. ↑ Press release of September 7, 2007 ( Memento of January 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 11 kB).
  4. ↑ by inserting § 4a into the Road Traffic Regulations of November 13, 1937 through Article 2 No. 5 of the ordinance amending the provisions of road traffic law of March 14, 1956, Federal Law Gazette I, pp. 199, 206.
  5. ↑ Ulbricht tolls . In: Die Zeit , No. 9, February 27, 1970.
  6. ↑ Leber: “Trucks are not sacred cows! The turmoil on motorways must come to an end! ” In: Die Bundesbahn , ISSN  0007-5876 , 16/1968, p. 580.
  7. ↑ Report: Holiday Travel Time Ordinance in www.chroniknet.de
  8. ↑ Application form: For holiday travel time regulation on weekends ( Memento from July 18, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
  9. ↑ a b Ordinance on driving bans and speed limits for motor vehicles of November 19, 1973 ( BGBl. I p. 1676 )
  10. ↑ When the sheikh wants it, all wheels stand still. In: Spiegel online , November 24, 2007.
  11. ↑ Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt commented on the Sunday driving bans during the oil crisis as follows: So that the German people should understand what had happened, we decreed these car-free Sundays on the autobahn. Not to save oil, that was a side effect. The real purpose of this exercise was to make people realize that this is a serious situation. In: Bonner Republik 1949–1998 (TV broadcast), Part 3/6: 1969–1974 - Social-Liberal Coalition Brandt / Scheel. | PHOENIX
  12. ↑ Jens Kliffmeier: Driving bans suspended longer · Until June 30th, trucks in the north can also drive on Sundays and public holidays . In: Daily port report of April 30, 2020, p. 2
  13. ↑ ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: Truck driving ban in France. ) De.rhenus.com@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / de.rhenus.com
  14. ↑ transalpina.com
  15. ↑ Tyrol slows down trucks: green light for driving ban on Saturday. In: Tiroler Tageszeitung , December 17, 2018, accessed on December 17, 2018.
  16. ^ ADAC country guide: Romania. In: adac.de. January 2, 2018, accessed February 17, 2018 .
  17. ↑ a b Sunday and night driving ban ( memento from March 19, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) at the BAV
  18. ↑ ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: Driving bans for trucks - Switzerland ) Brummiplatz.ch@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / brummiplatz.ch
  19. ^ ADAC country guide: Hungary. In: adac.de. February 5, 2018, accessed February 17, 2018 .