Berlin – Now the Torstrasse in Mitte. It is one of the next main thoroughfares in Berlin, for which planners and politicians are planning far-reaching changes. In concrete terms, this means for this traffic route that the capacity of the autobahn will be halved and almost all car parking spaces will be eliminated. Loading zones and cycle lanes will be created for this purpose, and pedestrians will also benefit thanks to new sidewalks. A lot of space is taken away from motorists, while those who move around without a motor gain additional space. No wonder there is a fight raging on the internet. Some speak of an “insane shortage of roads”, others are happy that cyclists are finally getting their own lanes.
The plan shouldn’t come as a surprise, however. Because it has been foreseeable since 2018 that this will happen in many places. The first part of the Berlin Mobility Act, which prescribes protected bicycle lanes for all main roads in the city, has been in force for that long. If the administration now goes to work after long preparations and sometimes hesitation, it is not bad will. Above all, it is not lawless terror against motorists. The planners fulfill the mandate of a state law that came about democratically and is valid.
As understandable as the anger is, it’s a discussion that’s becoming increasingly old-fashioned. Not only against the background of global warming, urban mobility must change faster than before. The enormous increase in energy prices brought about by Russia’s war in Ukraine also shows that things cannot go on as before. More and more motorists are rightly thinking about using other modes of transport. Projects like that of Torstraße help to make Berlin fit for the future.