Berlin initiative only wants to allow twelve private car trips per year

With a draft law, a citizens' initiative wants to drastically restrict car traffic in Berlin. Car trips would only be allowed in exceptional cases. After ten years, the number of journeys permitted should be halved again.

A Berlin citizens' initiative wants to largely ban car traffic within the S-Bahn ring and presented a draft law on Thursday. Citizens should therefore only be allowed to use a motor vehicle privately “up to twelve times a year” - namely to transport heavy or bulky goods or for vacation trips.

After ten years, the number of journeys permitted is to be halved to six. According to the ideas of the “Referendum Berlin car-free” initiative, there should be exceptions to the car ban, for example for local public transport, delivery traffic, emergency services, the police and fire brigade, or people with restricted mobility.

The initiative wants to implement the draft law with the help of a referendum. For this purpose it has now been submitted to the internal administration for a cost estimate. From April to September 2021, the alliance wants to collect the 20,000 signatures required to initiate a referendum.

Should the House of Representatives not adopt the matter afterwards, the actual referendum should follow in 2022 - according to the initiators' schedule. If the required 170,000 signatures come together, a referendum would be due in 2023, which would run like an election.

The main aim of the initiative is to achieve a better quality of life. "We want people to be able to sleep with the windows open and children to play on the streets again," said spokeswoman Nina Noblé. "In Berlin there are too many cars on the street and pollute the air with tire abrasion, occupy too much space and unnecessarily endanger human life - regardless of whether it is electric or diesel." With an area of ​​88 square kilometers, "the world's largest car-reduced city center" would be created.

Source: Welt