FDP wants to make driving easier and ease restrictions in cities

The FDP wants to make life easier for drivers with a five-point program and calls its plan presented on Monday "Politics for the car". Two of the demands in their draft (PDF) are new: on the one hand, the Liberals want to create free short-term parking or a nationwide parking model based on the 49-euro ticket for local public transport. Short-term parking zones generally allow parking for one to two hours. According to the party, more people would visit and consume in city centers again if they were exempt from parking costs.

On the other hand, the FDP's plan is to restrict bicycle lanes and pedestrian zones; in future, this should only be possible as part of an overarching, holistic concept involving residents and businesses. At road construction sites, work is to be carried out in three shifts at weekends and at night to speed up the work.

Recently strengthened state matter

However, the government cannot directly enforce either of these demands because they fall under the jurisdiction of the federal states. The possibilities for local authorities to set facts more easily at a local level were recently extended by the federal government with the votes of the FDP. The amendment to the Road Traffic Act now also allows 30 km/h speed limits in urban areas, the creation of bus lanes and cycle paths or residents' parking facilities, in addition to the organization of parking space management and the designation of traffic areas for certain groups such as cyclists.

"Understanding autonomous driving as an opportunity", on the other hand, is a wish that the FDP addresses directly to local authorities. The party would like to "encourage municipalities and districts to set up test areas".

The demand that young people should be allowed to drive under supervision from the age of 16 (instead of 17 as previously) and the acceleration of the so-called "green waves" through digitalization and artificial intelligence have long been known. In this respect, the coalition partners have an open door for these two points, as they are part of the coalition resolutions.

One point has already been cleared

The FDP also wants to "stop EU plans to decommission diesel cars". The FDP believes there is a risk that millions of diesel vehicles could be taken out of service as a consequence of the ECJ ruling on emissions standards and would like legal clarification. The EU Commission has rejected these fears as "misleading" and assured that there are no plans to retroactively change the registration rules with regard to pollutant levels. Most recently, the party repeated its call for a general highway speed limit to be waived.

Finally, the FDP would like to see a "commitment to motorsport", meaning Formula 1 in particular. The FDP's keywords: "innovation" and "tourism". However, it is above all a question of financial viability: without subsidies, Formula 1 events at the two possible circuits Nürburgring and Hockenheim are currently not viable in Germany. Whether this will happen again from 2026, as the fans hope, can hardly be influenced by the FDP's appeal.

FDP Secretary General Bijan Djir-Sarai justified the decision of the FDP executive committee following the listed demands by stating that the car should not be deliberately disadvantaged and added: "We do not want an ideological mobility policy". The politician told the Bild newspaper: "We don't need an anti-car policy that works with ever new restrictions and bans".

(fpi)