Parked trucks, cars, buses and trams: Cai (12) at Ossietzkyplatz in Niederschönhausen Photo: Olaf Selchow
By Stephen Peter
If you are out and about on Grabbeallee, Dietzgenstrasse or Hermann-Hesse-Strasse on weekdays, you need strong nerves. There are hardly any bike paths, cars, buses and trams are stuck in traffic.
An intolerable situation, especially for the youngest.
“It’s really dangerous, especially with several people,” says student Cai (12). “I’m always scared when I’m out on my bike.”
The Pankow district of Niederschönhausen has become home to many young families. But the B 96a is anything but idyllic, and the streets are much too narrow for the enormous amount of through traffic.
“We need Tempo 30 and finally continuous and protected bike paths,” demands Karin Hieronimus (53) from the parents’ initiative “Safe to School”. So far there has been no help from the district office. “Even if you park at an intersection, you don’t even get a ticket from the public order office. You close both eyes!”