Voter scare visitors calming: How a Inexperienced mayor desires to make Hanover car-free

Mayor Belit Onay want to “Miracle of Hanover” repeat. In 1959, this was the title “Spiegel” gave to the plans of metropolis planning officer Rudolf Hillebrecht, who made Decrease Saxony’s capital after the Second World Warfare car-friendly metropolis rebuilt. Hillebrecht turned the medieval star-shaped road system right into a wheel, surrounded by town ring, on which visitors nonetheless roars in six lanes in the present day.

Turned wheel spokes swathes (“Tangents”) struck throughout town. Excavators and bulldozers additionally lower by and constructed undamaged condominium blocks elevated elevated roads. Der Spiegel cheered that one may “rush to town middle at limitless pace”. Hanover thus grew to become a mannequin for a lot of different German cities.

“That was the zeitgeist again then“, summarizes Inexperienced Social gathering Mayor Onay. At this time it is a burden on town in some ways. Onay believes that Hanover – now that cities worldwide Rebuild a car-friendly metropolis – can as soon as once more turn out to be a task mannequin by exhibiting how the transport transition can also be profitable within the house nation of the automotive.

The Plans have explosive energy: Hanover’s metropolis middle ought to turn out to be nearly car-free. Or “future-friendly and humane,” as Onay says. The 42 yr outdated lawyer With Turkish roots, town of 500,000 has been governing along with the SPD since 2019. After Freiburg, Darmstadt and Stuttgart, Hanover is the fourth main German metropolis with a Inexperienced mayor.

Through the election marketing campaign, Onay campaigned with the imaginative and prescient of… car-free metropolis middle at. This induced discussions – even after the poll, by which the Greens confronted off within the runoff the CDU opponent may implement. Beforehand, the city corridor was dominated by Social Democrats for greater than 70 years.

For Onay, car-free signifies that “no extra automobiles too many” is within the metropolis. If the council agrees to its plans, which it plans to current this Tuesday, solely industrial visitors, public transport, taxis, residents and folks with disabilities will likely be allowed to journey in Hanover’s metropolis middle by 2030. Transit and parking search visitors There ought to now not be any, automobiles will likely be led from town ring by way of cul-de-sacs into present parking garages. Automobile parking areas ought to largely be eradicated.

Hanover’s parking garages are scarce 10,000 parking areas and are on common solely half full – so they might accommodate many extra automobiles, explains Development metropolis councilor Thomas Vielhaber. This will even be obligatory: ​​the residents – presently 4,000 individuals stay within the metropolis middle – are solely allowed to make use of their automobiles on non-public parking areas park.

In any other case, they will even need to park their automobile in one of many parking garages – a few of them will to the neighborhood storage, for a price. Nonetheless, the objective is obvious: Onay hopes that some individuals will do away with their automobiles: “The transport and mobility transition doesn’t imply simply as many automobiles, simply within the parking storage, however one in complete Discount in automotive visitors.”

We primarily need to flip transport on its head by selling strolling as fundamental mobility.

Thomas Vielhaber, Hanover metropolis councilor for development.

Precedence must be given to town middle above all Pedestrians but additionally cyclists. “We principally need to flip visitors on its head by selling strolling as fundamental mobility,” says Vielhaber. Visitors lights must be eliminated and particular person lanes will likely be eliminated the place attainable. Wherever visitors meets, it ought to Pace ​​20 or a most of 30 applies.

As a way to enhance biking visitors, town is working exhausting on… twelve deliberate cycle routes to be accomplished, which, ranging from the central Metropolis-Rad-Ring, will lead radially into town districts and join them with one another. An extra 3,300 Park & ​​Experience areas have gotten scarce within the metropolis and the encircling space 5000 bike & experience areas constructed.

Town administration is increasing within the outskirts of town Resident parking zones to stop drivers from searching for different routes and parking wildly. As well as, Onay is presently searching for three quarters by which car-free “superblocks”.may very well be created based mostly on the instance of Barcelona.

Authorized dispute after the closure of Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse

Anybody who desires to curb automotive visitors doesn’t have it straightforward. In Berlin The Greens misplaced the latest election with visitors calming measures: the non permanent closure of Friedrichstrasse in Berlin-Mitte grew to become a political bone of competition provoked litigation. The CDU The brand new CDU transport senator gained the election with a pro-car marketing campaign Manya Schreiner As one in every of her first official acts, Friedrichstrasse was reopened to automobile visitors.

The Union not too long ago introduced that… Change the mobility legislation like this to need that Bike paths made narrower could be weakened, the rights of pedestrians are weakened and play streets lose their precedence. The adjustments may already be in in the present day’s assembly be determined by the CDU parliamentary group.

Onay sees errors in Berlin’s visitors administration

Belit Onay has adopted the dispute over Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse. He sees errors by the Berlin Transport Administration and the Mitte District Workplace. They might have merely closed the street to automobile visitors and believed that the problem can be settled. “The closure for automobiles made sense, however that’s not sufficient.” Town administration did not take the initiative and make the road extra engaging.

He’s satisfied that he did higher in Hanover. In 2021, Onay designed a mobility idea and went on the offensive: with a one-year-old Interior Metropolis Dialogue and so-called Experimental rooms, by which sections of streets had been quickly free of visitors and supplied with extra greenery. Floor photos confirmed how locations within the metropolis may very well be used in a different way. Additionally sports activities and video games affords Pop-up youth middle and a questionnaire marketing campaign had been included.

The response was not just a little criticism, but additionally some reward. “Within the final two years we’ve had one Acceptance of this method “We fought for it and obtained lots of help regardless of the crucial voices,” says Onay confidently. It’s clear to him that there will likely be protests in opposition to the plans – now that he’s getting critical. However, he exudes a stoic conviction: “We’re not ranging from scratch.”

Commerce must be revived

Extra city conferences are deliberate to get individuals concerned, for instance on October twenty ninth within the empty Galeria Kaufhof constructing. All households within the metropolis middle will likely be invited and the occasion will likely be streamed on-line. For biggest attainable transparency Solutions for every affected road are made obtainable on-line – with the intention of encouraging debate and… to channel dissatisfactionas Onay explains.

The administration now has that constructive communication internalized, which specialists suggest for any measures in opposition to automotive visitors. “We don’t shut roads; open them for different makes use of“ says Onay, for instance. There will likely be much less visitors, however there will likely be extra individuals within the metropolis middle sooner or later, he guarantees.

Like many cities, Hanover Metropolis additionally suffers from this Competitors from e-commerce. “Retail is now not functioning within the peripheral areas, there are monumental vacancies,” says metropolis councilor Vielhaber. The revival has already begun, for instance with the Strengthening the “cultural triangle” between the theater, the Künstlerhaus and the State Opera. The opera is increasing its lobby to incorporate the seats as a way to come into contact with the residents.

The mobility transition is a large alternative for cities.

Belit Onay, Mayor of Hanover.

“The mobility transition is an enormous alternative for a metropolis like Hanover and plenty of different cities,” believes Onay. The renovation of the central Steintorplatz has already attracted a big clothes chain as a brand new tenant for a property. Additionally for them Space round the principle practice stationwhich is characterised by habit and homelessness, there are plans: extra amenities for addicts, but additionally Sports activities and celebration affordsto draw your entire city neighborhood.

Though town middle idea nonetheless needs to be authorised by town council, Onay is for certain of the approval of his coalition associate SPD. He’s extra prone to depend on it minor additions and changes. The choice may very well be handed on the finish of November, and the primary adjustments ought to start in mid-2024. Onay advises cities which can be planning on doing one thing just like instantly begin speaking to skeptics as a result of: “There are lots of fears principally phantom pains and never actual.”