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Largest zero emission zone planned in Germany

Since August 2020, the shopping street Friedrichstrasse in Berlin's Mitte district has been a zone closed to cars, with a double bike lane running through the middle. According to the ideas of Berlin's new transport senator Jarasch (Greens), this zone is to be considerably extended.

So far, only Friedrichstrasse is directly affected by the car ban, namely the section between Leipziger Strasse and Französische Strasse. There is a bike lane for bicycles, and not much has changed for pedestrians, except for better air. Carefree strolling is still difficult because the cars have now been replaced by bicycles. But if Jarasch has her way, the zero-emission zone should be extended east to Gendarmenmarkt and north to Unter den Linden. Charlottenstrasse, Mohrenstrasse, Behrenstrasse, Taubenstrasse and Jägerstrasse up to Markgrafenstrasse would then be affected.

This would actually create Germany's largest zero-emission zone. Only pedestrians and bicycles would have access, because Jarasch believes: "No one wants cars driving on Friedrichstrasse again." Another possibility for the area around Friedrichstrasse would be encounter zones like those already being tried out in other districts of Berlin. Cars are allowed to drive there, but only at walking speed. In Berlin, 18 percent of the population use a car every day. That is almost half the national average of 34 per cent.

On the street Unter den Linden, too, individual traffic is to give way in the long term. Instead, the 7.7 metre wide pavements and the 17.5 metre wide central promenade are to be given more space. There will be only one lane per direction for motorised individual traffic instead of the previous two.

However, when and where Berlin's zero-emission zone will be introduced has not yet been decided and so far these are only proposals that have to be examined first. You can read all the latest developments on the low emission zones in the Green Zones app.