Start:
from Friday, April 7, 0.00 a.m. for car traffic
from Thursday, April 6, 6.00 p.m. ban on operation of comfort fireplaces
End:
The end of the fine dust alert is open.
The aim of the fine dust alarm is to reduce the expected pollution with fine dust and nitrogen dioxides during weather conditions with very low exchange in Stuttgart. Currently, the German Weather Service (DWD) predicts a strongly limited exchange capacity of the atmosphere until at least Sunday. On these days, the concentration of particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide in Stuttgart can rise sharply. There is a risk that the limit values will be exceeded.
To lift the fine dust alert, the DWD must forecast a sustained and significant improvement in the exchange capacity. A one-day interruption of the strong restriction of the exchange capacity is not sufficient.
From 6 pm Thursday ban on operation of comfort fireplaces
The state capital of Stuttgart, together with the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Transport and the Stuttgart Regional Council, appeals to the population of Stuttgart and the metropolitan region to avoid using their cars in the Stuttgart urban area as much as possible when a particulate matter alert is issued.
Due to an ordinance of the state of Baden-Württemberg, there is a ban on the operation of so-called comfort fireplaces. Dwellings, which are heated exclusively with such single room furnaces, are in principle excluded from it. The general decree of the state capital Stuttgart on the operating ban can be found at www.stuttgart.de/bekanntmachungen.
Car drivers are asked to switch to public transport, to use the bicycle where possible or to walk. Carpooling is also a useful way to reduce traffic in Stuttgart; on average, a car in Stuttgart is occupied by only 1.28 people. Those who have the option of working from home or making use of flexible working hours should do so in consultation with their employer during fine dust alerts.
4er Tickets zum Kinderpreis - Discounts from car2go and moovel
There are various discounts for transfer passengers: On fine dust alert days, adults can travel with a VVS one-way ticket at the children’s price. Simply buy a one-way ticket at the children’s price via the VVS app, at the ticket machine or from the bus driver, and the car can stay at home. In addition to the one-way tickets, passengers can also buy 4-trip tickets at the children’s price and use them on days with a fine dust alert. The 4-ticket at children’s price is about half the price of the adult ticket. When purchasing a 4-trip ticket from a ticket machine, passengers simply need to press the children’s button. There is no discount on short-haul tickets, day tickets and season tickets.
Discounts are also available from mobility providers car2go and moovel: car2go allows all customers to use its all-electric vehicles for 19 cents per minute (instead of 29 cents) during fine dust alerts. New customers can register for free with car2go and receive a credit of five euros by entering the promotion code J16_PR_STG/Feinstaub.
Discounted prices also apply via the moovel app during the fine dust alert for all VVS and car2go bookings. In addition, moovel customers have the chance to travel free of charge by bus and train in the VVS area during the fine dust alert. A random generator decides whether moovel will cover the cost of the purchased VVS tickets. The chance of winning is 50 percent, i.e. every second ticket purchased via moovel is free.
Additional capacities created in public transport
In order to increase public transport capacity, the new light rail line U19 runs every 10 minutes between Neugereut and Neckarpark on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., thus relieving the U2. The U13 light rail line between Giebel and Hedelfingen will run every 7.5 minutes instead of every 10 minutes during the evening rush hour. From Monday to Friday, S-Bahn Stuttgart is increasing the capacity of certain trains on the S1, S2, S3 and S5 lines. This means that around 500 more spaces are available per S-Bahn train at peak times.
A total of 15,250 parking spaces are available at 106 park-and-ride (P+R) facilities in the VVS area for commuters who want to switch from car to public transport. New offer in the Österfeld P+R parking garage in Stuttgart-Vaihingen: Since December 2016, the parking garage has been available exclusively to those transferring to local public transport. The parking ticket = ticket principle applies.
Even faster information: city WhatsApp channel and widgets
For the first time, the city of Stuttgart is using the messaging services WhatsApp, Telegram and Insta in this alert period to inform the population quickly and directly via smartphone about the triggering, the further course and the end of the fine dust alert. Furthermore, the social media channels www.facebook.com/Stadt.Stuttgart and www.twitter.com/stuttgart_stadt also serve to provide quick information.
The media and the public receive a daily update on the fine dust alarm between 1 and 2 p.m. every day. Motorists are informed about the fine dust alert via traffic reports on the radio, advertisements on the highways, bridge banners in the region and Vario boards on inner-city entrance and exit roads.
Everything you need to know about the particulate matter alert can be found on the city’s website at www.feinstaubalarm.stuttgart.de.