A decision by the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district office could soon affect the traffic around Görlitzer Park: the Görlitzer Ufer between Wiener Strasse and Görlitzer Strasse is to become a pedestrian zone. In addition to pedestrians, bicycle traffic, ambulances, the police and vehicles for supply and disposal are permitted.
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The Görlitzer Ufer is located east of the Görlitzer Park between Lohmühleninsel and Maybachufer. The streets around the bank are to be comprehensively traffic-calmed through the partial confiscation, according to the justification of the district office.
This also corresponds to the district plans for more traffic safety. “We want to distribute public space more fairly and make it safer,” said District Mayor Clara Herrmann in an interview with the Tagesspiegel on the district traffic plans.
Furthermore, the pedestrian zone implements the district pedestrian traffic concept. The purpose of repurposing parking spaces into urban spaces is to increase the quality of stay in public space. The Görlitzer Ufer is also listed in the district unsealing concept as an “area with high potential for greening”.
According to the resolution, the pedestrian zone would create “area potential for unsealing and decentralized rainwater drainage”.
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This Wednesday evening, the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district assembly (BVV) will take note of the decision of the district office, but a vote is not yet expected. According to the current agenda, the proposal will be referred to the specialist committees for environmental protection and nature conservation as well as traffic and order for further discussion.
The Greens parliamentary group spokesman Pascal Striebel says that the construction of a pedestrian zone on the Görlitzer Ufer is “another important step towards traffic calming and unsealing” in the district. The parliamentary group welcomes the plans of Green City Councilor Annika Gerold.
