Law: Bicycles, e-bikes and e-scooters will soon be allowed to park for free in car parking spaces

• The Berlin Senate wants to exempt small vehicles such as e-bikes, bicycles or e-scooters from parking fees.
• The aim is to keep the sidewalks free, as in some places it is almost impossible for pedestrians to get through.
• The regulation is to apply from January 1, 2023 and is met with criticism.

In the inner-city area of ​​Berlin, it is often no longer possible to get through on public pedestrian paths. People have to find their way between e-scooters, bicycles and other small vehicles. A similar picture emerges in other major German cities – carelessly parked two-wheelers are a nuisance.

As reported by rbb24, the transport administration of the Berlin Senate has announced that bicycles, e-scooters, cargo bikes and motorcycles can be parked free of charge in car parking spaces from January 1st. On the one hand, this step is intended to increase safety on pedestrian walkways. On the other hand, politics is about redistributing public space.

“It is the case that bicycles, but also electric and other small vehicles are actually vehicles and that means they can be parked in parking lots,” Berlin Mobility Senator Bettina Jarasch (Greens) told rbb on Wednesday. “The goal behind it is very clear: I finally want bicycles, scooters and other small vehicles to disappear from the sidewalks, where they have been legally tolerated until now. The goal of our entire mobility revolution is that we distribute public space differently: More space for the environmental association, less space for cars. Parked cars simply take up too much space in such a dense city,” says Jarasch.

Special case e-scooters: According to Jarasch, a transitional period should apply to this type of vehicle until planned public collection points have been set up where the rental scooters can be parked.

“Plans are solely at the expense of drivers”

Criticism of the plans comes from Kai Wegner, CDU parliamentary group leader in the Berlin House of Representatives. He describes the law as “wrong way”. It is true that the conditions on the sidewalks were sometimes catastrophic. But the plans presented would primarily be at the expense of motorists.

“I don’t think it will help that there will be a cooperation, but rather a conflict,” said the group leader. There was also criticism from the population, fearing that a single parked bicycle could block an entire car park. Via Twitter, the Senate Chancellery points out that parking should be as space-saving as possible and that cyclists – if available – should use brackets to lock their bikes.