Customers go to the barricades: No parking in Greifswald endangers cafes!

Customers go to the barricades: No parking in Greifswald endangers cafes!

In Greifswald, a new absolute parking ban on Mühlenstrasse is causing a stir among residents and businesses. Linda Schwenke, who runs the charming Café Kaffeemühle, is faced with a serious challenge. Since mid-October 2025, customers have no longer been allowed to stop in front of their store to load antique furniture. “This makes it incredibly difficult for my customers,” she explains worriedly. Instead, the furniture has to be carried to the loading zones in the neighboring streets, which is a major hurdle, especially for older customers. According to NDR, residents and businesses have already discussed possible courses of action.

The reason for this drastic change is a court decision that says Mill Street is too narrow for parking. The plaintiff, a cyclist, had successfully sued against cars stopping in the cycle lane, which led to the priority rule for cyclists being lifted and thus resulted in a general ban on stopping. Mayor Stefan Fassbinder (Alliance 90/The Greens) defended the need to implement the ruling and emphasized the dangers of a possible accident hotspot on this street.

Resistance and concerns

The city administration's decision to abolish the bicycle street regulations on Mühlenstrasse on September 8, 2025 was not met with great joy among the population. “We have many businesses here that rely on delivery traffic,” said one affected business owner. According to him, an absolute ban on parking would have made loading and unloading in the area impossible. The affected facilities include not only the flower shop and the furniture store, but also the post office, a hotel and various craft and social services.

The city administration of Greifswald included all interest groups, including the police, fire brigade and road traffic authorities, in its considerations. “It was important that we weigh up the different interests,” explained Construction Senator Achim Lerm, regretting that the previous solution enabled better exchange between the different types of transport. But now Mühlenstrasse will again be part of the 30 km/h zone in the city center, which serves to protect residents, pedestrians and cyclists.

Opinions differ

However, the decision to maintain the existing parking regulations is a cause for concern. According to the mayor, the legal dispute will not bring about any improvements for cycling. “It's unfortunate that so many interests clash and we couldn't find a good solution,” says Fassbinder resignedly. Despite the restrictions, cyclists are still allowed to use the road, but are no longer allowed to ride next to each other. It remains to be seen how residents and businesses will react to the ongoing changes and whether there may be a rethinking of transport policy.