• Social services and tradespeople can combine applications for exemptions with those for parking permits at low cost.
• In particularly justified individual cases, exemptions are also possible for individuals.
• The following applies to all permits: Passage at the control points should be limited as far as possible.

The rules have now been established for exemptions for crossing the Grabenring at the Karlsgraben control point and the following points. After careful examination of the legal requirements at NRW and federal level, the specialist administration has chosen a procedure that incorporates the suggestions of the social services and also takes into account the concerns of the trades.

Social services and craft businesses already receive a parking permit for their vehicles upon application. The existing procedure will now be supplemented by an additional application for an exemption permit in connection with the first steering point at Karlsgraben.

Regulation for social services

From now on, social services can apply for a parking permit as well as an exemption to drive through at control points. The exemption will be granted if the social services confirm that they need to care for people in adjacent development areas.

The costs for parking permits and exemptions are to be set at 155 euros per year for one vehicle in the city of Aachen. In future, the parking permit will cost 120 euros and the exemption permit 35 euros per year. At present, social services in the city of Aachen have to pay a fee of 155 euros per year per vehicle just for the parking permit. In future, the parking permit will only cost 120 euros.

The city assumes that social services will become even more involved in neighborhood planning when designing their routes on the basis of the new cost calculation.

Exceptions for delivery traffic and trade

The signage "Delivery traffic free" grants delivery and loading traffic direct passage rights for all goods transports to stores. Businesses can also deliver to private individuals within this framework. This applies, for example, to trade journeys where goods are delivered as part of business activities. No special permits are required for these journeys. Passage is permitted by the signage on site.

In addition, craft businesses have the option of obtaining a special permit to drive through the control points in the city center in the event of an emergency. To do this, businesses must describe typical emergency situations in a simple procedure.

As with the social services, applications for tradesmen's parking permits and exemptions can be combined if desired. The exemption permit costs 35 euros per year. Craftsman parking permits currently cost 120 euros per year per vehicle.

Regulations for specially justified individual cases

There are also special regulations for other applicants. For example, residents and people with restricted mobility must state special reasons in an informal application in order to obtain an exemption.

The following applies to all permits: Passage at the control points should be limited as far as possible. The permit is issued for one year. The application must be resubmitted after one year. The administration will then re-examine the legal requirements existing at the time of the application and the local conditions with regard to the exemption permit.

Public transport, cabs, bicycle traffic and e-scooters are given free passage via additional signage at the control points. Special vehicles such as refuse collection, street cleaning, fire departments on duty, the police, the German Armed Forces, the Federal Police, civil protection and customs services have special rights in accordance with Section 35 of the Road Traffic Regulations, irrespective of the signage. A special regulation is therefore not necessary.

Applications can be submitted immediately at: ausnahmegenehmigungen@mail.aachen.de

New inner-city mobility

The changed traffic routing around Karlsgraben and Löhergraben is the first measure in the new mobility concept for Aachen's city center. The aim of this concept is to make the city center accessible, safe and environmentally friendly for all road users. Within the avenue ring, the streets will be divided into five development areas. Little or nothing will change within these areas. What is new is that to switch between the areas, you drive onto the avenue ring and from there into the next area. Direct passage between the areas is no longer permitted. Through traffic will therefore be shifted to the outside.

Further information can be found on the website www.innenstadtmobilitaet-morgen.de