Berlin referendum: Only 12 car trips per year allowed!

Berlin referendum: Only 12 car trips per year allowed!

A remarkable turnaround in Berlin traffic: A citizens' initiative is planning a far-reaching car ban within the S-Bahn ring. The Berlin Constitutional Court has now declared the application to initiate the referendum for the “Berlin car-free referendum” to be admissible Focus reported. This project aims to, after a transition period of four years, declare almost all streets in the city center as “car-reduced streets” and limit private car trips to just twelve per year. Car journeys by people without disabilities would also be particularly affected, while exceptions only apply to certain groups such as the police, emergency services and delivery traffic.

The court, which ruled by a majority of 8 to 1, made it clear that it was not deciding whether to implement the plan, but was merely examining its legal admissibility. The result: The draft law is compatible with the Berlin Constitution as well as the Basic Law and federal law. The proportionality of the measures was also maintained, which signals that there is no fundamental right to “uninhibited driving,” as the initiative’s lawyer emphasized.

The reactions to the plan

The proposals are not only met with approval. Business associations are expressing concerns that a ban on driving in the city center could bring economic disadvantages. Nevertheless, the initiative is optimistic and plans to collect at least 170,000 signatures from eligible voters within four months. If everything goes smoothly, a referendum is expected to decide whether to introduce the law.

What is practical for the project is that over 50,000 signatures were collected last year to initiate the referendum. This clearly shows that something is changing. The idea behind the “Berlin Law for Road Use for the Common Good” is to clearly reduce car traffic and create a healthier, safer and climate-friendly city that offers more space to breathe, as the initiative further illustrates. The current unequal distribution of traffic areas speaks for itself: cars take up 60% of the space, while only 14% of the journeys made are by car.

The next steps

The next step in this encounter between citizens' initiatives and politics now lies with the House of Representatives, which must discuss the draft law. If this is accepted, Berlin's transport transition could receive a decisive boost. The urgency of reducing car traffic is underlined by the impending climatic challenges and the limited space in the city of Berlin. A status quo is no longer sustainable; Changes are necessary to create a more livable environment for all Berliners, according to the initiators.

The initiative comes to the conclusion that citizens' voices are now needed. A unique undertaking that could set new standards in Berlin's history.