Berlin – Democracy or no democracy. When it comes to traffic in Berlin, most citizens want a Rambo that really hits the table and works wonders. Some are calling for the Senate to finally clear traffic jams, dismantle construction sites and make driving in Berlin back to what it has never been – a pure pleasure. The others are demanding with increasing impatience that the tram network finally grows, that all main roads get protected cycle paths as promised and that bollards keep through traffic out of their residential areas – also as subito as possible. But now, with Bettina Jarasch, a woman has filled the responsible position in the Senate, who by no means wants to give the Rambo. That strives for consensus and, if necessary, also wants to change plans if they offend the citizens too much. Will it work?
Bettina Jarasch, who is not the Senator for Transport, but rather the Senator for Mobility, has chosen a political minefield. A political area in which ideological and one-sided discussions are taking place, in which more and more Berliners demand comprehensive improvements, but which even more citizens do not want. Some say that a lot has to change radically in urban mobility. No, it should stay the same as before, only much more car-friendly, counter the others.
Most Berliners do not see where their part in the misery lies
What makes the debate so difficult is the fact that most Berliners do not see their part in the misery. And that they take different positions: If you want to be protected from car traffic in your residential area, you have nothing against polluting many other urban areas with noise and exhaust fumes on the way to work. Anyone who is afraid for their children often finds nothing in driving them up to school in the morning and thereby endangering other children. Those who demand wide, easily passable roads for themselves and their car for Monday to Friday would like cyclists to be able to move safely on their weekend trips.
In addition, so many mobility issues have two sides that seem incompatible. It would be advisable to switch bus routes that are heavily frequented, such as the M48 or to Spandau, back to tram operation. But it is just as certain that this would meet with fierce resistance because lanes and parking spaces will no longer exist. A second example: Of course, it makes sense to also think about expanding the Berlin subway network. However, due to the long planning and construction times, many who demanded new tunnels experienced their opening only as retirees, if at all. Subway projects are unsuitable for solving traffic problems in the short and medium term.
The coalition has promised too much and threatens to get bogged down
The dissent even extends to the fundamentals of the transport policy debate – for example when it comes to questions of democracy. Quite a few Berliners get upset about pop-up cycle paths or new cycle lanes at all. They demand democratic citizen participation that gives them the right to veto. It is clear that the Berlin Mobility Act, in which the administration is obliged to create protected cycle lanes on main roads, came about through democratic means.
The new Berlin Senator for Mobility has to assert herself in a complex discussion. A discussion that has ended in dead ends in some places and is always threatening to get bogged down. Bettina Jarasch has to stay on course, even if the new red-green-red coalition agreement is sometimes lost in the small details of lobbyist-inspired work assignments – such as preparing five new underground lines or examining opportunities for building more cable car lines in Berlin. The coalition is also promising too much by promising the residents of the outskirts that a similar standard can be achieved in terms of local transport and new mobility in sparsely populated areas than in the densely built-up center. There is a lack of lead projects that show the direction in which mobility is going in Berlin.
There must be changes, says the new senator. But it is also correct that it must be possible to take as many people as possible with you on a journey into the future. Trying to reach consensus is not a bad thing at first. Because that means not only to discuss, but to discuss differently than before. On all sides.
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