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No More ‘Fun Fun Fun on the Autobahn’ Under Proposed German Laws

  • Government panel proposes 80 mph limit on 8,000-mile network
  • Country has to slash emissions to meet Paris accord targets
Cars drive on the Autobahn 40.

Cars drive on the Autobahn 40.

Photographer: Marcel Kusch/picture alliance via Getty Images

In Kraftwerk’s famous ode to the autobahn, drivers savored the freedom of limit-free motorways. That could all end, under proposals from a government panel.

A cap of 130 kilometers per hour (80 mph) is being recommended by unions and environmentalists, according to a leaked report, putting an end to Germany’s famous open-road policy. The proposals are for new laws to cut emissions in all sectors of the economy, Bild Zeitung and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported on Saturday.