Environmental zone

In principle, all vehicles wishing to enter the new low emission zone in Aachen from February 1, 2016 must have a green sticker visibly affixed to the inside of the windshield.

There are uniform national and state-wide exemption rules. In addition, local authorities can draw up local regulations for processing; these are currently still being developed in Aachen.

Nationwide rules: Low emission zones in Germany

https://www.green-zones.eu/de/


for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia NRW regulations

https://www.umwelt.nrw.de/themen/umwelt/umwelt-und-gesundheit/luft/umweltzonen

Anyone wishing to obtain a green sticker for their vehicle must bring or present the vehicle registration certificate or the registration certificate part 1. These documents use certain combinations of numbers and letters to indicate whether the owner can obtain a green sticker for the vehicle in question.

More

Yes, on February 1, 2015, federal legislators once again made a subsidy pot available that owners of older diesel vehicles and vans in particular can tap into.

The subsidy program originally ran until 31 December 2015, but has now been extended until 30 September 2016. Anyone who has equipped their car or van with a particulate filter between 1 January and 30 September 2016 will receive a subsidy of 260 euros and a green sticker. Details on the subsidy program and how to apply (incl. application form) can be found on the following BAFA website:

http://www.bafa.de/bafa/de/weitere_aufgaben/pmsf/

For the time being, we refer to the NRW-wide regulations (PDF).

In Germany, classic cars with an H license plate or red "07 number" are exempt from the driving ban according to federal regulations and may also drive in the environmental zone without a green sticker (see in 35th Federal Immission Control Ordinance (BImSchV), Annex 3 to § 2 Paragraph 3, Number 10).

In principle, this exemption also applies to foreign classic cars if they meet "equivalent requirements" according to 35th BImSchV. Equivalent means that they must be recognized as classic cars in accordance with the legal requirements of their home country. In the Netherlands, motor vehicles are recognized as classic cars if they are at least 40 years old; in Belgium, the limit has now been raised to a minimum age of 30 years.

For vehicles with a Belgian license plate, an "O" precedes the actual identification number on the plate; in the Netherlands, classic car license plates are often black.

According to the 35th Federal Immission Control Ordinance (BImSchV, Annex 3 to § 2 Para. 3, No. 4), two- and three-wheeled motor vehicles are exempt from the driving ban. Motorcycles are therefore also allowed to drive in the low emission zone without a green sticker. Quads and trikes that are classified as motorcycles or agricultural and forestry tractors also do not require a sticker. However, tricycles and quadricycles registered as cars do. Field 14.1. in the registration certificate part 1 or digits 5 and 6 of the key number to 1 in the old vehicle registration certificate are decisive for the allocation of the sticker.

As the campsite is located within the environmental zone, motorhomes and vehicles driving there must also have a green sticker. This should not be a problem for most newer motorhomes, as they can usually get a fine dust sticker.

Buses with a green sticker are allowed to enter the low emission zone. For the other buses, the city is looking for a solution outside the low emission zone.

Are multilingual signs planned at the borders and freeways or only at the border of the low emission zone?

The entire public relations work will be aimed at informing the local population as well as domestic and foreign visitors to Aachen comprehensively about the low emission zone.

The city plans to draw attention to the establishment of a low emission zone in Aachen and the detailed regulations primarily via the media in Belgium and the Netherlands and via the website of the city of Aachen (short link: www.aachen.de/umweltzone). This page will also show where foreigners can obtain a green sticker for their vehicles at short notice.

Public relations work will start at the beginning of 2016, in close connection with the installation of the low emission zone signage in the streets.

With the help of the "aachen tourist service", tour operators, bus companies and individual travelers from Germany and neighboring countries are to be informed about the environmental zone and its rules.

The existing Park & Ride facilities can also be accessed and used without a green sticker. In addition to the Vaalser Straße/Westfriedhof, Waldfriedhof/Monschauer Straße and Jülicher Straße/Berliner Ring Park & Ride parking lots, the Tivoli multi-storey parking lot also remains accessible to out-of-town visitors and is therefore outside the environmental zone. When defining the boundaries of the low emission zone, the city advocated this visitor-friendly regulation, which makes it possible to reach the city center without any problems.

Overview map Park&Ride as PDF

In principle, the city of Aachen can only control stationary traffic. The active traffic wardens are responsible for monitoring the known municipal parking zones within the outer ring road. In addition to parking tickets, they will also keep an eye on green stickers such as TÜV stickers.

A violation of the environmental zone is already programmed into the catalog of offenses on the cell phones of the traffic wardens. Anyone who does not have a green sticker must pay a fine of 80 euros without a point in Flensburg as well as expenses and fees as for a fine notice, usually 28.50 euros. The extent to which the police will take over the control of moving traffic has yet to be clarified.