Shock for Berlin: Senator for traffic stops controversial neighborhood blocks!

Shock for Berlin: Senator for traffic stops controversial neighborhood blocks!

The discussion about traffic calming in Berlin has achieved a new turning point with the decision by the traffic senator Ute Bonde (CDU). Today she announced that she stops the financial support for a project in Mitte that provides for the construction of twelve new neighborhood blocks. This measure is seen as a basic decision that could have an impact on future traffic turns projects in the entire urban area. Berlin transport policy is therefore faced with a new challenge.

BONDE justifies the stop with the insufficient consideration of important aspects such as business and delivery traffic as well as emergency services. Critics of the measure, on the other hand, argue that neighborhood blocks are required, especially in residential areas such as Mitte in order to reduce through traffic and to improve the quality of life. The concept of neighborhood blocks provides for traffic -calmed areas between main traffic streets, which are intended to respond to the requirements of a growing city. Information on the introduction of ideas and needs can be found on the website of the Kiezblock initiative kiezblocks-mitte.de .

contradiction and support

The reactions to Bonde’s decision are mixed. While the SPD refugee politicians, such as Tino Schopf, emphasize the need for traffic calming measures, both the AfD and the police union support the stop of the neighborhood block initiatives. This discussion unfolds against the background that the measures for traffic calming are continued in other districts such as Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg and Tempelhof-Schöneberg. Especially in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, there is a plans for space-covering traffic calming measures and dispensing with neighborhood blocks.

critics refer to the negative development of traffic, which despite the existing initiatives in Friedrichshain led to increased traffic and noise. This raises the question of whether the stop of the neighborhood blocks is a step backwards for the traffic in Berlin, as various pedestrian lobbies and associations fear. These see a decisive measure in the neighborhood blocks to improve the quality of life in urban rooms.

historical context and future measures

The problem of traffic loads in inner -city areas is by no means new. Inner-city traffic has increased noticeably since the 1970s, which leads to an increasing pollutant and noise pollution. Citizens and planners increasingly demanded measures to calm traffic. Historical approaches such as the Delft model, which understands roads as a living space, offer a valuable reference point for current discussions on traffic calming, such as Research information system.de

Since then, traffic planning in Germany has developed greatly, with questions of integration of urban planning, transport and the environment. In the 1980s, nationwide traffic calming measures were tested and supported by Tempo 30 zones. The current discussions about neighborhood blocks illustrate how important innovative solutions are to improve quality of life and traffic safety in urban areas.