Berlin neighbourhood plans to ban car parking in mobility experiment

Berlin's Kreuzberg district plans to ban car parking in a neighborhood with 20,000 people, repurposing the space for children to play on the street, Berliner Zeitung reports. The experiment to boost sustainable mobility would prohibit cars from being parked in public areas for a period of six months to a year. Streets in the area would be designated as play areas, but some car traffic including deliveries would still be allowed, according to a motion from the local Green Party and the Social Democrats. Parking spaces for people with disabilities would also be retained, as well as some spaces for car sharing schemes, electric vehicles and rental bikes. The plan will be put to the vote on Wednesday in the district parliament.

Locals will be able to park at a nearby multi-storey car park, with additional parking spaces to be offered by the district as required. The proposal said it was necessary to reduce the number of cars as the transport sector is not on track to meet its CO2 reduction targets.