By Julian Loevenich
Arbitrariness slowed down! Only in September did the Senate fail with its bus lane on Clayallee in Zehlendorf. Not the only transport project in Berlin that did not stand up in court.
The administrative court recovered the extra lane in Zehlendorf – after only two months! Reason: The authority did not explain the “particular risk situation”. Because: Between the actually measured and the optimal driving time were only between eleven and 26 seconds. That wasn’t enough for the court.
The authority also failed to properly exercise the discretion to which it was entitled.
Nationwide, special lanes should only be set up at a frequency of at least 20 buses per hour. On Clayallee it was nine an hour.
The Senate and district had actually ordered the special lane for buses, ambulances, taxis and cyclists.
They could have lodged an appeal against the court decision, but decided not to do so.
In the so-called traffic turnaround, the administration of Green Senator Bettina Jarasch steps on the gas – and often causes legal trouble.
► In the spring of 2020, the city was covered in pop-up bike lanes. The Administrative Court conceded eight again. Only when the justification for the measure had been corrected did the city’s higher administrative court agree.
► In April 2021, the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district office declared Krautstrasse a pedestrian zone. At the end of June, the administrative court granted the application of a local resident, declaring the zone illegal. Three months later, it reversed the decision – after the office had readjusted it.
Bus lane even topic in quiz show
On Monday evening, Kai Pflaume (55) asked in the ARD quiz show “Who knows something like that?”: Why did the bus lane on Clayallee have to be removed by court order?
Did you know? Kai Pflaume’s studio guests were wrong Photo: ARD
Typical Berlin, the rate stars Tanja Makaric (25) and Bernhard Hoëcker (52) probably thought: They obviously trusted the capital city administration to arrange a bus lane even where there are no buses.
A lot is possible in Berlin: You were still wrong with answer A …
