The environmental organization BUND has sharply criticized the relaxation of the truck driving ban on Sundays and public holidays, while the Federation of German Industries (BDI) welcomed the decision.
Replacing river shipping with hundreds or thousands of truck journeys because of low water levels is not a solution, BUND chairman Olaf Bandt told the "Rheinische Post" (Saturday edition). This would place a burden on "people and the climate," he said.
"The government has not understood that low river levels are a symptom of the climate crisis," Bandt continued. "Dredging riverbeds or putting more trucks on the highways will not solve the problem." Instead, he said, intact river landscapes are essential for retaining water in the landscape, which would help mitigate low water levels. "Inland shipping must adapt to the rivers, not the other way around."
Rather than allowing trucks to drive on Sundays and public holidays, the government should ensure that "rail infrastructure is capable in future of better absorbing bottlenecks in inland shipping," the BUND chairman demanded.
Federal Transport Minister Steffen Bilger (CDU) had floated the idea of suspending the Sunday and public holiday driving ban on Thursday, in order to allow important goods to be transported temporarily in greater volume by road during the period of low water. The first federal states have already begun putting this plan into action.
The Federation of German Industries welcomed this approach. "The federal government is demonstrating its capacity to act in the current extreme situation," said Deputy Managing Director Holger Lösch of the BDI, speaking to the "Rheinische Post." "Shifting goods onto rail and road during the low-water period can mitigate the impact and stabilize value chains," he said. However, he warned that this would not "fully compensate for the missing transport capacity on the waterways."
Modernizing infrastructure remains the decisive factor, Lösch added. "This requires higher investment in climate-resilient transport infrastructure, faster planning and approval procedures, and sufficient staffing at the responsible authorities." He also said the federal government should support the procurement of ships that are able to operate even during periods of low water.
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