Berlin car -free: Constitutional Court gives green for a large traffic turn!

Berlin car -free: Constitutional Court gives green for a large traffic turn!

Berlin, Deutschland - The State Constitutional Court recently approved the controversial referendum "Berlin Auto-Frei" with a clear 8: 1 judgment. The Court rejected legal concerns about the draft law and found that it did not violate fundamental rights. The “Volksenscheid Berlin Auto-Frei” initiative is planning a comprehensive ban on car on almost all roads within the S-Bahn ring, while private car trips are to be limited to a maximum of twelve a year, with exceptions for the police, fire brigade, buses and delivery traffic.

With this decision, a broad debate about the referendum, which has been promoted by the initiative since its foundation in the summer of 2021. The initiative already collected over 50,000 signatures for the initiation of the procedure. Now it has to obtain at least 170,000 signatures for the next phase of the referendum within the next four months in order to initiate the legal regulation. A successful referendum could put the law into force if a majority of voters and at least a quarter of all eligible voters agree.

reaction of politics

The decision of the court means both opportunities and challenges for the political actors in Berlin. The CDU, which the traffic senator is currently presenting, could draw advantages from the court decision because she scored a pro-Auto policy in the 2023 election campaign. In contrast, the SPD and the Greens come under pressure. The SPD criticizes the CDU for its excessive focus on car traffic, while the Greens consider the initiative's demands to be too radical.

Traffic Senator Ute Bonde (CDU) made it clear that she is against the planned law and describes the possible negative consequences as not sensible. The economy also expresses concerns: Alexander Schirp, managing director of the business associations in Berlin and Brandenburg, emphasizes that a extensive ban on driving in the city center would be a difficult blow to the local economy.

public discussion and possible consequences

The judges of the Constitutional Court emphasized that the initiative does not bring about immediate changes in road traffic, but opens up the possibility of a multi -stage procedure for citizen participation. It is therefore unclear whether Berlin will soon be car -free, but the discussion can now be conducted without constitutional concerns. With regard to possible bottlenecks in local public transport, the judges also expressed concerns.

The "Berlin car -free" initiative is perceived as gratifying in its response to the judgment by her spokeswoman Marie Wagner. She sees the decision as confirmation of her efforts for more public and participation in transport policy. While the city is not obliged to allow roads to drive without restrictions, the discussion about a more sustainable transport policy in Berlin remains a explosive topic.

Overall, the approval of the referendum shows that the social interest in alternative traffic concepts and the associated challenges in Berlin are growing. The next few months will be revealing if the discussion gains driving and the fate of the initiative is in the hands of the Berlin population.

More details on the legal situation and the political reactions are, for example, at rbb24 , Tagesspiegel