BZ editor Hildburg Bruns comments on the plans of the Berlin Greens to make Friedrichstrasse around Checkpoint Charlie car-free Photo: Sven Darmer / BZ assembly
From Hildburg Bruns
It is not the first attempt to defuse the stress hotspot Checkpoint Charlie. A comment from BZ editor Hildburg Bruns.
Years ago the magic word was encounter zone. Walking speed should be introduced at 210 meters, pedestrians, cyclists and drivers should be given equal rights. But the plans were shelved. They wanted to wait and see how the traffic flows through the planned museum, hotel, etc. would change.
The buildings are still not there, but now comes the tightened version: Cars out completely, Greens want to prevail!
It doesn’t upset me. Because it doesn’t matter whether I cross the intersection on my way to the House of Representatives by bike or car – for me it’s an extremely dangerous corner. Even if I drive very slowly, the pedestrians there are in a sightseeing frenzy and often don’t look to the left or right.
Here I would be able to understand a strolling area. Unlike on the other side of Leipziger Strasse, where accidents do not play a major role. This is one of the reasons why the administrative court, as is well known, recovered the blocking.