In recent years, the bollard has become one of the most hotly debated instruments of Berlin’s traffic turnaround. Cheered by some to break the supremacy of the car in city traffic, others see it as a dictatorship of free travel for free citizens.

Judging by the discussion, however, quite a few of the barriers have ultimately been anchored in Berlin’s asphalt.

All the more roadblocks of a completely different kind have made their way onto the streets of the capital in recent years: e-scooters. They stand in tens of thousands from Mitte to Spandau, preferably parked on sidewalks.

Sure, their real purpose is locomotion. But when several scooters – and rental bikes and real scooters are also welcome – block a pedestrian crossing or sidewalk, they are one thing above all: traffic barriers – and ultimately only mobile bollards.

Unfortunately, they thwart their use, locomotion. The Senate wants to remedy the situation with binding rules in September at the earliest.

But as is the case with rules in Berlin, some means of transport can probably only be overcome by introducing other, even more innovative vehicles. Where are the long overdue providers of the hoverboard from “Back to the Future”? The annoying e-scooters could simply be skimmed over on the floating boards.

It is all the more surprising that no resourceful mobility start-up has yet brought the next generation of means of transport to Berlin: the hoverboard. But things would certainly bring other problems.