By Sabine Klier
Everything as before: Friedrichstrasse is open to traffic again. Cars and buses have been driving through the shopping street again since Saturday. Barriers, benches and flower pots have been removed.
The closed section between Französischer Straße and Leipziger Straße has been reopened to motor traffic. Word has probably not gotten around yet: At the moment there are still more bicycle and e-scooter riders on the asphalt than car drivers. Many taxis, Trabbi safaris and sightseeing buses are already using the opportunity to drive through the road, which has been closed since January. Cars are now parked where the cafés used to put their chairs. There are still no signs for paid parking. While it cost four euros an hour in the side streets, it’s currently free here.
The passers-by, mostly tourists, fill the sidewalks. The mood is relaxed. Only one BMW driver honks his horn because an elderly lady is riding too centrally on the road in front of him for his liking. Otherwise there is no dense crowd on the street. The many empty shops are striking.
“The transport policy was a disaster. The whole neighborhood suffered from it,” says Willy Breitenkamp (80). Photo: Olaf Selchow
“23 shops are closed,” says Willy Breitenkamp (80). He is the owner of an antiques shop in Quartier 206. Transport policy is to blame for this. All the back and forth. “The district has suffered from it.” Not only chic luxury shops were affected, the smaller shops in particular were hit by the decline in the public and the associated drop in sales.
Just last week, the Marcel von Berlin boutique on the corner of Jägerstraße closed. “We have to come up with something to make things interesting for customers again. Rents should go down. Maybe that would be a fresh start for the young colleagues with ideas,” says Breitenkamp.
Resident Wolfgang Menzel (81) says: “I’ve lived here for 35 years and I’m glad traffic is moving again. But coaches and beer bikes should be banned here.” A Lafayette employee disagrees. “It was nice to sit outside on the benches during the lunch break. Now there is no more seating there.”
“Now it’s louder, it stinks of petrol. Shopping is no longer relaxed”, Ronny Lale (46) from Kaulsdorf Photo: Olaf Selchow
Seller Ronny Lale (46) from Kaulsdorf finds traffic stressful: “The days of relaxed shopping are over. It’s louder and the smell of petrol is annoying. Also, the plants are missing. I liked it better before. It was decelerated there.”
Taxi driver Christian Röttele (65) is happy that he can finally drive through here again. “Now I can drive to the hotels better. Before, I always had to accept detours.”
“I can finally drive through again and don’t have to make any detours,” says taxi driver Christian Röttele (65). Photo: Olaf Selchow
Sandra Kussmaul (36) from Steglitz is also happy: “For me, the shops are now easier to reach. And I can also transport more in the car.”
“They could have saved themselves the assembly and disassembly. But now I can be reached better,” says Sandra Kussmaul (36) from Steglitz Photo: Olaf Selchow
Transport Senator Manja Schreiner (CDU) had lifted the blocking of Friedrichstrasse for motor vehicles. The senator wants to introduce a comprehensive traffic concept for the entire area in the autumn. “Then it’s quite possible that Friedrichstrasse can be redesigned to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists,” she said.
Taxi driver Christian Röttele considers a one-way street system to be practicable: “On Friedrichstrasse in one direction and on Charlottenstrasse, which runs parallel, in the other direction. Then there would be enough space for all road users, cars and cyclists.”