Greenpeace activists cover speed limit signs on autobahns with 100 km/h stickers

According to Greenpeace, the action took place simultaneously at all 26 signed autobahn border crossings in Germany. The dpa reporter observed that traffic on the autobahn continued normally during the action and that no reactions from drivers were visible.

Demand to the federal government

Greenpeace justified the action as a sign for greater independence from oil. Mobility expert Marissa Reiserer said: „Daher haben Aktivistinnen das selbst in die Hand genommen und Tempo 100 eingeführt." The organization criticizes the fact that there is still no general speed limit on autobahns in Germany, even though speed limits apply on large sections of the network.

Reiserer accused the federal government of blocking a free and effective measure. „Die Bundesregierung blockiert eine kostenlose supereffektive Maßnahme, um Sprit zu sparen, das Klima zu schützen und die Straßen sicherer zu machen", the Greenpeace expert stated.

Greenpeace argues that a speed limit protects the climate and saves lives. According to the organization, a speed limit saves millions of liters of fuel. The activists specifically covered over the 130 recommendation — the non-binding recommended speed on autobahns, which is the only one of the three columns of the sign that has no binding character.

Criticism of the fuel discount

The environmental organization also took sharp aim at the so-called fuel discount — the fuel price relief package decided upon by the federal government. A spokesperson said: „Wer in der fossilen Krise auf fossile Scheinlösungen wie den Tankrabatt setzt, vertagt die Bewältigung des Problems statt es anzugehen." The federal government had introduced the fuel discount as a measure to relieve consumers of energy costs.

Greenpeace described the fuel discount as a "fossil faux solution" and accused the federal government of postponing the actual crisis with it instead of initiating structural changes. The environmental organization considers a general speed limit on autobahns to be long overdue and is calling on policymakers to act.

The report on the action was broadcast on 8 June 2026 on the Deutschlandfunk program and distributed via the dpa news channel. The action itself took place on an early morning; the exact time was not given. After completion of the action, the signs at the border crossings showed the number 100 instead of 130, although due to the larger format of the digits and the printed "Greenpeace" lettering, it remained clearly recognizable that this was a protest action.

Background

Legal consequences for the activists were not mentioned in the report. Nor can it be gleaned from the available information whether the stickers were removed by the responsible road authorities after the action. The police authorities did not comment on the action in the distributed report.

The action is part of a series of high-profile forms of protest by Greenpeace, with which the organization has been calling for a general speed limit on German autobahns for years. Germany is one of the few countries within the European Union without a comprehensive speed limit on autobahns.