Start:
Since Saturday, January 19, 0 o’clock for car traffic.
Since Friday, January 18, 6 p.m. for comfort fireplaces.
End:
The end of the particulate matter alert is open.
The aim of the fine dust alarm is to reduce the expected load of fine dust and nitrogen dioxide in weather conditions in Stuttgart with very low exchange. Currently, the German Weather Service (DWD) predicts a strongly limited exchange capacity of the atmosphere up to and including Wednesday. The concentration of fine dust, but also of nitrogen dioxide in Stuttgart can then rise sharply. There is a risk that the limit values will be exceeded.
In the event of a particulate matter alarm, the city and state appeal to the population in Stuttgart and the metropolitan region to avoid using their cars in Stuttgart if possible and to switch to environmentally friendly means of transport or to form car pools. In addition, the operation of so-called comfort fireplaces, which do not serve the basic supply but only as an additional heat source, is prohibited during fine dust alerts. The ordinance issued by the state banning the operation of comfort fireplaces (Air Quality Ordinance-Small Combustion Plants) applies on days with a particulate matter alert for the entire period until April 15, 2019.
To lift the particulate matter alert, the DWD must forecast a sustained and significant improvement in the exchange capacity; a one-day interruption of the severe restriction of the exchange capacity is not sufficient in this regard.
Quick information via social media channels
A particulate matter alarm is triggered as soon as the German Meteorological Service (DWD) forecasts a severely restricted exchange capacity in the atmosphere for at least two consecutive days. The alert is announced one day in advance so that motorists can seek mobility alternatives in good time. The media and the public will be informed of the start, progress and end of the alert in the event of a particulate matter alert between approximately 1 and 2 p.m. each day. In addition, the city provides immediate information via its social media channels www.facebook.com/Stadt.Stuttgart and www.twitter.com/stuttgart_stadt. Motorists also receive up-to-date information about the particulate matter alert via traffic reports on the radio and Vario boards on the city’s entrance and exit roads. Up-to-date and background information is also available at www.feinstaubalarm.stuttgart.de.
To inform the population as quickly as possible, the city again offers the messaging services WhatsApp, Telegram and Insta. Interested citizens can subscribe to the municipal channel of the respective provider and then immediately receive information on the current air pollution and particulate matter alarm via push message. In addition, the city offers widgets at www.feinstaubalarm.stuttgart.de that can be integrated into websites or company intranets to draw attention to the particulate matter alert. Once installed, the widgets update automatically.
UmweltTagesTicket and new express bus line X1
To encourage even more people to switch to public transport, a low-cost UmweltTagesTicket (= day ticket for 1 person) is once again available from October 15, 2018 to March 31, 2019. The UmweltTagesTicket, which was already very well received during the last alarm period, is issued in three price levels: for one to two zones, for three to four zones and for the entire network from five zones upwards. The low-cost ticket offer leads to a reduction in revenue for the VVS of around 1.9 million euros. The city and state each share the costs equally.
The new X1 express bus line also began operating at the start of the new particulate matter alert period on October 15, 2018. The express bus connects Bad Cannstatt with Stuttgart city center and runs every 5 minutes from Monday to Friday from 6 am to 8:30 pm. The X1 starts at Wilhelmsplatz in Bad Cannstatt, runs through to Dorotheenstraße (Charlottenplatz) and then stops five more times directly at Cityring before returning to Bad Cannstatt. This makes it easy to get on and off throughout the city center - every 5 minutes.
There is also a new light rail line: the U16 now runs on the route Giebel - Feuerbach - Pragsattel - Wilhelmsplatz Bad Cannstatt - Augsburger Platz - Fellbach. The U16 relieves the heavily used sections of the U13 and U1 lines. At the same time, a second express bus line has also been launched: The X2 connects Leonberg with Stuttgart city center and runs every 30 minutes from Monday to Friday between 6 am and 8:30 pm.
Discounts with stadtmobil and car2go
For the first time, the car sharing provider stadtmobil Stuttgart is offering discounts during the fine dust alert period: New customers will receive a bonus of 25 euros as travel credit when signing a contract on days with a fine dust alert. Anyone who also deregisters their car from their household during the current fine dust alert period will receive a further 25 euros in travel credit as a new customer. The offer is valid until the end of the current fine dust alert period and applies in the area of stadtmobil carsharing AG, Stuttgart.
The station-independent carsharing provider car2go also supports the air pollution control activities of the city of Stuttgart: car2go enables all customers to use the all-electric smarts fortwo from car2go for 25 cents per minute (instead of 29 cents) during fine dust alerts. The price per minute for the electric B-Class is 34 cents. New customers can also register for free with car2go during the entire fine dust alert period and receive a credit of five euros by entering the following promotion code during online registration: J18_LC_STG/Feinstaubalarm The discount is valid throughout the entire Stuttgart car2go business area, including the region (Esslingen, Sindelfingen, Böblingen and Gerlingen).
“Street cleaning fine dust” at the Neckartor
In the new fine dust alert period, the “street cleaning fine dust” has also been continued. The lanes and sidewalks around the Neckartor are now being intensively cleaned again from Sunday to Friday between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. until the end of the fine dust alert period. The street cleaning is coordinated by DEKRA.
The cleaning of the streets and sidewalks is intended to help reduce particulate matter pollution along heavily traveled routes. The cleaning is intended to remove the precursors of particulate matter - e.g. tire particles, brake particles, grit - so that they cannot develop into particulate matter in the first place.
More on air pollution control in Stuttgart
In recent years, the city of Stuttgart has taken a large number of measures to improve air quality in the urban area. These include massive investments in public transport, the introduction of the low emission zone, the ban on trucks passing through, the intensive promotion of pedestrian and bicycle traffic, the job ticket, increased measures for traffic liquefaction, more urban greenery for the city climate and also the fine dust alarm.
In 2018, the particulate matter limits were met for the first time at all measuring stations in the city area. At Neckartor, for example, only 21 days of exceedance were reported, compared with 35 permitted. In contrast, significant limit value exceedances continue to occur for nitrogen dioxide. In contrast to particulate matter, the annual mean value for nitrogen dioxide is problematic. The limit value here is 40 micrograms per cubic meter of air. At Neckartor, the annual mean was 71 micrograms in 2018, 73 micrograms in 2017, and 82 micrograms in 2016.
Since January 1, 2019, a traffic ban has been in effect in Stuttgart for all motor vehicles with diesel engines of the Euro 4 / IV exhaust emission standard and worse. The traffic ban applies all year round in the environmental zone of the city of Stuttgart. There are exceptions to the traffic ban for certain suppliers (food, pharmacies), social services, craftsmen, medical emergencies, people with disabilities and shift workers, among others. For residents, there is a transition period until April 1, 2019. A traffic ban for diesel Euro 5 / V vehicles will not be considered before January 1, 2020. Information on the planned diesel traffic ban and exemptions is available here: www.stuttgart.de/diesel-verkehrsverbot