Title: Wissing Slams Lack of Coordination in Federal States on Transport Policy
Wissing demands more coherence from states on transport policies
FDP politician Volker Wissing, serving as Federal Transport Minister, voiced his concerns about the need for better coordination among the states on transport policies. He expressed this in a statement to the German Press Agency in Mainz on Saturday, urging the transport ministers from the federal states to align their positions at the Conference of Transport Ministers within their state governments in the future .
Wissing accused the states of not meeting their obligations in relation to financing the Deutschlandticket and complying with road traffic regulations, resulting in contradictory insights and complicating both citizen and local authority understanding as well as hindering political processes .
Bundesrat fails to approve road traffic legislation
A proposed law aimed at establishing more flexibility in road traffic regulations, such as the establishment of bus lanes and 30 km/h zones, did not receive the necessary support in the Bundesrat on Friday. The failure of the law, which aimed to assign cities and municipalities greater autonomy, led the Greens' spokesperson Philipp Missfelder to lament the blocking of progressive reforms by conservative federal states .
The law included provisions for enabling local authorities to introduce "special lanes" for climate-friendly mobility, provide more flexibility in setting up residents' parking zones, bus lanes, and cycle paths, and enabling easier establishment of 30 km/h speed limits in certain areas .
The ongoing disagreements between federal states and the federal government over transport policies
Despite Volker Wissing's calls for unity between the federal council and the states on transport policies, including the Deutschlandticket funding and road traffic regulations, the opposing views among states and their respective governments persist. A law proposed by Wissing to provide municipalities with greater leeway in implementing road traffic regulations was not supported in the Bundesrat, pointing to the ongoing tensions between federal and state governments regarding transport policies.
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The ongoing disputes between the federal states and the federal government regarding transport policies, such as the Deutschlandticket funding and road traffic regulations, are primarily due to diverse reasons, as indicated by the failure of Volker Wissing's proposal in the Bundesrat .
- Funding concerns: The federal government's initial promise of annual compensation of 1.5 billion euros to public transport associations to subsidize profit losses for the Deutschlandticket has been delayed, casting doubt over financial sustainability .
- Structural disadvantages: The opposition Union party, led by Ulrich Lange, has criticized the federal government's interference in states' responsibilities. They argue that rural areas, which rely heavily on car travel, suffer due to the initiative's biased nature .
- Long-term investments: The SPD and Greens argue for the need to secure the Deutschlandticket's long-term financing, emphasizing a commitment to a 50% federal contribution and pushing for a transparent pricing framework that ensures affordability .
- Service reliability: The SPD Bundestag deputy Detlef Müller underscored the importance of providing reliable services to attract more users, advocating for nationwide standards for transporting children and bicycles .
These disparities demonstrate intricate disagreements concerning funding, the need for long-term financial stability, and affordability considerations.
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