TheCable

Hamburg, a northern city in Germany, has imposed a partial ban on diesel vehicles as part of the country’s much-debated move to improve air quality.

The city is the first in the country to make the move, NAN reports.

Pressure has been building on major German cities to improve their air quality and diesel vehicles have been a key target of the authorities due to their nitrogen oxide emissions.

After a long-running legal battle, cities were given the go-ahead to impose diesel bans by a constitutional court decision in February.

The port city blocked a 600-metre stretch of the Max Brauer Allee and a 1.6-km stretch of Stresemannstrasse in the Altona-Nord district for older diesel cars and trucks from midnight (2200 GMT Wednesday).

Meanwhile, signs marking the restrictions and diversions have been put in the place over recent weeks in the Altona-Nord district.

All diesel vehicles that do not meet the Euro-6 emissions standards are affected by the Hamburg ban.

“Less than a third of the diesel vehicles registered in the city at the beginning of the year meet the standard,’’ the federal motor transport authority said.

They are, however, exceptions to the ban. In one of the streets affected, emergency vehicles, residents and visitors, bin lorries, delivery vans and taxis can all use the road.

The extremely limited nature of the ban has drawn criticism from environmental groups such as Greenpeace, which say it is merely window-dressing.

The long-expected diesel bans have been closely-watched in Germany as they could carry consequences for the country’s large car-making industry, which has relied greatly on diesel-powered vehicles.

France, China, UK are some other countries that have announced plans to ban the use of diesel cars.