Middle District Councilor Almut Neumann (38, Greens) in front of a wrongly parked car on Wiclefstrasse in Moabit Photo: Ralf Lutter
By Isabel Pancake
Wrong parking is now really expensive in Mitte! Because anyone who parks outside the markings on a play street should be towed away immediately without warning.
“This is a danger for playing children and foot traffic. People need our protection, which is why we are now taking tougher action against illegal parkers,” says district councilor Almut Neumann (38, Greens).
In traffic-calmed areas, drivers are only allowed to park in marked parking spaces – not at the side of the road, as is usually the case.
So far, the public order office in Mitte has only ever distributed parking tickets to those who parked illegally. Cost: ten euros, in case of danger 15 euros. District Councilor Neumann: “A lot of people are not interested in that at all. For them, 15 euros is like an extended parking ticket.”
Now the employees should call the tow truck directly! The penalty: 225 euros – 22 times as much! Vehicles are then parked on the outskirts, where parking is free.
Mitte is thus the first district to take such rigorous action on play streets. The regulatory office expects a high increase in vehicle conversions in the near future.