Speed ​​bumps on Tempelhofer Feld: safety measure or disruption?

Speed ​​bumps on Tempelhofer Feld: safety measure or disruption?

The installation of 85 new speed bumps on the upper circular path of Tempelhofer Feld is causing a lot of discussion. This measure, which is intended to increase safety for all users and slow down cycling, is part of a comprehensive care and development concept for the popular leisure area in Berlin. The concrete speed bumps that were integrated at the entrances to Oderstrasse are the result of a participation process with citizens who wanted cycling to slow down in heavily frequented areas. Tens of thousands of people use Tempelhofer Feld every day, making different speeds on the circular routes a challenge.

Proponents of the new safety measure see the speed bumps as a necessary step to improve road safety, while critics see them as obstacles to sporting activities. In this context, accessibility is also addressed, as the thresholds must be well marked and not too high. The Senate emphasizes that accessibility is maintained through side passages and that individual threshold areas should still be adjusted. Ultimately, this renovation measure is intended to improve the infrastructure and secure Tempelhofer Feld as a recreational area in the long term, as entwicklungsstadt.de reports.

Comprehensive redesigns

The current measures at Tempelhofer Feld go beyond simply installing speed bumps. Extensive construction work is underway on the Neukölln side of the site, which is being coordinated by the state-owned company Grün Berlin. This work began in autumn 2022 and includes the creation of new exercise and leisure activities that are intended to appeal to children in particular. These new offerings include bouncy discs, a spinning circle, climbing arches as well as various platforms and a water spray system.

In addition, 176 new parking spaces for bicycles, including four for cargo bikes, will be created. The entrances will also be made more attractive: the main entrances on Herrfurthstrasse and Crashgate will each be widened by ten meters, while the secondary entrances will be enlarged to four meters. All of these measures are intended to make Tempelhofer Feld more accessible to all users, including people with disabilities. The barrier-free entrances are supplemented by a guidance system for the blind. Two new drinking fountains and toilet facilities are also intended to make the stay in the field more pleasant, as [tagesspiegel.de](https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/grossere-aufnahmee-radfahrerde-ausbremsen-das-tempelhofer-feld-in-berlin-soll-attractiver-fur-alle- Werden-11446385.html) report.

Dispute over use and development

However, the discussion about the future use of Tempelhofer Feld remains controversial. The 2014 referendum spoke out against building on the former airport area, but there are still voices calling for residential development on the periphery. Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) never tires of emphasizing that additional accommodation for refugees in the field is necessary. The demand for 3,000 new places is supported by CDU parliamentary group leader Dirk Stettner. Around 2,300 people currently live on Tempelhofer Feld, which adds fuel to the debate. Meanwhile, Federal Construction Minister Klara Geywitz (SPD) is calling for more greenery and is speaking out against the moratorium on changes, while the Greens want to enable future-oriented development without changes to the law, as berlin.de reports.

A central element of citizen participation in connection with Tempelhofer Feld are so-called dialogue workshops. Here, 275 randomly selected Berlin citizens take part over several weekends to intensively engage with the field and possible changes to the ThF law. The aim is to formulate technically sound theses for future developments and to discuss all different perspectives in respectful discourse. The results of these dialogue workshops will ultimately be incorporated into an international ideas competition, which underlines the importance of the Tempelhofer Feld for urban development.