By Danilo Gladow
In Berlin, traffic planning is often a matter of luck. Sometimes they work, often they snag – and most of the time nobody understands them.
Example at the corner of Friedrichstraße/Kronenstraße, pedestrian zone borders on car traffic. Right there is a charging station for electric cars. Due to the conversion of Friedrichstraße, however, it can no longer be used – absolute stopping ban! Only loading and unloading allowed. Anyone wanting to charge a battery will be turned away by the police.
The same happened to local resident Michael Nuthmann (54), who wanted to connect his electric car to the column there. He’s annoyed: “It’s unbelievable that you’re experiencing such a situation here.” For him, it has nothing to do with the energy transition.
Michael Nuthmann (54), insurance salesman from Mitte Photo: Ralf Lutter
In any case, the number of charging stations in Berlin is scarce. According to the Federal Network Agency, there are around 27,000 pure electric cars at just 2,099 stations.
Meanwhile, the responsible Mitte district office downplays the planning chaos: “The arrangement of the electric charging station and the implementation of the pedestrian zone are only a few months apart.”
They would just overlap. According to the district, the charging station should only be taken off the grid for a short time in order to get the confusion under control.
This was apparently accepted: “It may be that the special traffic situation on site has gone under,” says the district.
The two traffic signs make charging impossible Photo: Ralf Lutter
Also curious: The pillars are approved by the district office, set up and operated by the Berliner Stadtwerke and funded by the Senate Transport Administration – a mess that is similar to the situation on Friedrichstrasse.
After all, the district office and municipal utilities are already discussing a new location for the column.