2023-05-23 17:17:47
Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse open to cars again from July
Friedrichstraße closed to traffic
Source: pa/Jochen Eckel
A section of Friedrichstrasse in Berlin has been closed to traffic since the end of January. The traffic administration reverses this decision on July 1st. She refers to objections from residents, some of which are associated with urgent court proceedings.
Dhe long-standing dispute over a car-free Friedrichstraße in Berlin has one chapter richer: after a section of around 500 meters near Gendarmenmarkt was closed twice in favor of a pedestrian zone, motorized vehicles will be allowed to drive there again in just over a month. This was shared by those now led by the CDU Traffic Administration on Tuesday with.
The background to the decision are objections from residents to the blocking of the section between Leipziger and Französische Strasse, some of which are associated with urgent court proceedings. They want to offer the complainants a moratorium and start a broad participation process for an overall urban planning and transport concept for the historic center in the fall. Friedrichstrasse, the area surrounding Gendarmenmarkt and Checkpoint Charlie should all be considered here.
“For Friedrichstrasse and adjacent areas, we are striving for an urban planning concept for the best possible development and design of the area, which takes into account the needs and interests of residents and tradespeople,” explained Transport Senator Manja Schreiner (CDU). “For this important place in the historic center of our city, we will therefore not simply specify anything, but develop a sustainable, functioning solution together with those affected.” Here she relies on “togetherness”.
In August 2020, the section of Friedrichstrasse in question under red-red-green was closed for the first time as part of a model project for the traffic turnaround. After a court decision according to which there was no longer any legal basis for the traffic test in 2021, it was initially released again in November 2022.
Since January 30 of this year, cars have been taboo there again at the instigation of the then Transport Senator Bettina Jarasch (Greens). The Mitte district office had previously ordered a so-called partial confiscation, i.e. a reclassification of the street as a pedestrian zone. This procedure is now the subject of legal disputes.
With the moratorium that has now been announced, the transport administration wants to ensure that the permanent design of the historical center is not restricted by parallel legal proceedings or preliminary determinations are made by a court. From their point of view, the prerequisites for the immediate execution of the partial confiscation, including special public interest, are not met. There is no urgency either.
From the point of view of the Greens, the closure of Friedrichstrasse should serve as a prime example for an ecological turnaround in traffic away from cars and a fairer division of public space. At the same time, the proponents pursued the goal of reviving Friedrichstrasse economically.
Recently, the shopping mile, where the luxury department store Galeries Lafayette is located, lost ground compared to Kurfürstendamm. Many shops closed – also in the course of the corona pandemic. The alliance “Save Friedrichstrasse!”, which includes tradespeople and residents, had mobilized against the closure.
“Kick-off Politics” is WELT’s daily news podcast. The most important topic analyzed by WELT editors and the dates of the day. Subscribe to the podcast at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or directly via RSS feed.
1684867609
#Berlins #Friedrichstrasse #open #cars #July