Overview
- The city switched signage on January 13 to restore the higher limit across roughly 2.5 kilometers between the Olympiapark Parkharfe and the Donnersbergerbrücke/Arnulfstraße, replacing about 300 signs.
- Officials point to a 2025 annual NO2 mean of about 38 µg/m³ and a city-commissioned forecast of roughly 35 µg/m³ for 2026 that would remain below the current 40 µg/m³ legal limit at 50 km/h.
- Deutsche Umwelthilfe says the rollback breaches the updated clean‑air plan secured through its 2024 court case and will present details of planned legal steps on Monday.
- Tempo 30 was introduced in June 2024 and made permanent in March 2025 to cut NO2 and avoid widening diesel restrictions to Euro 5 vehicles on the Mittlerer Ring.
- Roadworks on part of the corridor are scheduled from January 20 and could temporarily reduce lanes and affect traffic flow despite the higher limit, as the city also faces a tighter EU NO2 standard of 20 µg/m³ from 2030.