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The right sticker
Page 48
Page 49
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Operators delivering to German town centres have to have an Umwelt Plakette before they can go about their jobs. What are they and what happens if you don't have one?
Words: Colin Barnett Any UK operators lucky enough to have work delivering into German town centres have been facing chaos since 1 January, when environmentallymotivated restricted access rules came into effect.
When we reported on the then-imminent introduction of the Germany-wide Urn welt Plakette environmental zone system (CM10 April 2008), it seemed like a sensible solution to keeping the country's city centres clean.
This scheme affects almost all vehicles, from cars to trucks, with exemptions only issued to mopeds, motorcycles, ambulances and plant such as excavators.
Everything else must obtain and display an Umwelt Plakette, or pollution badge, decal before it is permitted to drive into what will eventually be 51 city centre zones. Police, traffic wardens and local authorities will be issuing €40 penalties to anyone. local and foreign alike, caught in a low emission zone without their badge.
There are 40 existing Urnweltenzonen (low emission zones) in operation, one (Leipzig) is planned to start on 1 January 2011 and another is proposed after that. Access to the zones is controlled by the display of a sticker in varying colours and numbers, and has been introduced on a rolling basis over the past two years.
Emissions The type of sticker is related to the certified particulate emissions of your vehicle, as identified by an obscure code on your vehicle registration document, as well as fuel type and registration date. Most trucks complying with Euro-4 regulations, registered after the beginning of 2006, should gain a green badge, which allows entry into all zones.
Certain vehicles with after-market exhaust-cleaning devices can also be approved on application.
With your green badge, all is well, with access to all areas permitted. However, for older, smokier vehicles, operators face what even the badge-issuing contractor, Climate Company, describes as "hopeless chaos".
The problem is that rather than a national strategy. every local authority has been allowed to create its own rules governing access to its own zone.
Since January, two major cities, Berlin and Hannover, allow only green badges. Others will have the same policy from various dates over the next three years, with gradually tightening restrictions in the meantime.
To help mitigate the confusion. Climate Company has produced a map, reproduced on the left, which is also downloadable from its website (www.umweltplakette.de) that is suitable for drivers to carry with them.
How to get hold of one
lb obtain an Grime!, Plakette in Germany requires you to visit either an approved car dealer, repair centre, TIDV (MoT) centre or a vehicle licensing office.
Locally purchased badges cost €5-€10 (£4.49-£8.98), although it's more expensive from outside of Germany. However. given the less-than-transparent eligibility criteria, we advise you buy before leaving the UK. You can do it online at www.tunwelt-plakette.de.
An English language option is available on the site, which explains everything you need to know There are two purchasing options, for private motorists with no VAT registration, and for fleet operators.
For private buyers, the cost is €29.90 (£26.92) for a handwritten badge, or €10 (£8.98) extra for a machine-printed version. For businesses, the ex-VAT rate is dependant on quantity, ranging from €31.90 (£28.64) for one handwritten badge, to €26.06 (£23.39) for 41-50 items, with negotiable discounts for larger fleets. There's a similar premium for machine printing.
You can be certain that now the honeymoon period is over, the Umweit Plakette system will be enthusiastically policed, with no mercy shown to foreigners.
If you're driving to Germany, do two things before you leave — research your destination and ensure you have the right sticker. •