To compensate for the restoration of car traffic on nearby Friedrichstraße, the capital will open Charlottenstraße for bicycle traffic tomorrow. Future changes as part of a broader mobility plan for Berlin's inner city are also not yet ruled out, he said.
For some, pedestrian zones are an effective means of combating too much car traffic in the neighbourhood. Others see them as the best way to make the surrounding, mostly smaller streets impassable, as cars congest here as a result. A bicycle can offer a faster way to get around, but even they cannot simply ride as they please.
After a little more than two years of a car blockade in Berlin's Friedrichstraße, cars are now free to drive between Leipziger Straße and Französischer Straße. This was the decision of the Berlin Administrative Court.
Switching to electric vehicles is a good, but not the only choice for climate-friendly transport. Bicycles and public transport are also establishing themselves as part of the mobility turnaround, as more and more Germans are giving up their own cars - including electric cars.
Air pollution levels in the capital are still exorbitant. The mayor of Paris is aware of this and wants to put an end to it.
Study shows that the car is not losing its position as the favourite means of transport. The purchase of an electric car is conceivable, but rail and public transport are still lacking in attractiveness.
The Norwegian government is encouraging its citizens to use public transport more. To this end, subsidies for electric cars are to be cut. Will other countries follow suit?
Berlin is trying to push back the car and give more space to the bicycle. Not every attempt is crowned with success: in Friedrichstrasse, bicycles are now to be banned just like cars. In addition, the streets around Graefestrasse in Kreuzberg are to be closed to cars.
The mobility revolution does not come for free. That's why it was only a matter of time before attempts were made to demand money from cyclists. After all, more and more paths are being created for bicycles, charging stations for electric bikes are being set up and parking spaces are being built.
Mannheim is banning cars from the city centre, but only on a trial basis for the time being. More space is to be created for pedestrians and cyclists and the city is to be freed from noise and exhaust fumes.
