Traffic in Berlin
Initiative demands: Only twelve private car trips per year
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Polluted air, traffic noise, always just stop-and-go: An initiative calls for a drastic restriction of car traffic within Berlin.
Driving through the big city: For most road users it is an ordeal – whether by car, bike or on foot. The initiative "Volksentscheid Berlin car-free" wants to remedy this and demands: Berliners should only be allowed to make twelve private car journeys per year – for example to transport bulky loads or to go on vacation.
Only twelve car journeys within the S-Bahn ring
To this end, car traffic within the Berlin S-Bahn ring is to be largely restricted. This concerns an area of about 88 square kilometers, according to "Welt.de". And could thus become "the largest car-reduced city center in the world", explains Nina Noblé, spokeswoman for the initiative. But that's not all: After ten years, private journeys are to be further reduced from twelve to six per year.
Exceptions for suppliers, police or fire brigade
According to "Welt.de", the initiative presented the corresponding draft law only a few days ago. According to the "Volksentscheid Berlin car-free", there should be exceptions for delivery traffic, police and fire services, among other things. However, it takes time – and patience for the draft law to be turned into reality. First, the initiative has to collect 20,000 signatures between April and September this year. A referendum can only be initiated when the required number has been reached.
We want people to be able to sleep with the windows open
Once all the signatures have been collected, the House of Representatives can adopt the matter and vote on it. If that does not happen, the referendum is expected to be carried out in 2022, according to the initiators' schedule. In order for the referendum to be put to a vote by the citizens, at least 170,000 signatures must be collected. The resulting referendum would then be held in 2023.
The quality of life of Berliners should be improved
There is still a long way to go before the draft law can be implemented. The main idea behind this is to improve the quality of life in the metropolis: "There are too many cars on the streets in Berlin and the air is polluted by tire wear, they take up too much space and unnecessarily endanger human lives – regardless of whether they are electric or diesel" Noblé according to "Welt.de". Time will tell whether Berliners can sleep peacefully with the windows open and children play on the street in the next few years.
Media used: welt.de