On the occasion of the IAA, 25,000 children, adolescents and adults demonstrated with a large bicycle rally and pedestrian demo for a change in mobility.
Under the motto
#ausstieg
, the colorful
bicycle demonstration called for
a clear departure from the car-dominated transport policy and priority for pedestrian, bicycle and local traffic. Politicians must finally free themselves from the overwhelming embrace of the automotive industry in order to enable climate-friendly traffic for everyone, according to the
alliance of ADFC, Attac, BUND, Campact, DUH, Greenpeace, NaturFreunde Deutschlands and VCD
, which had called for the
protests
.
“It is a strong sign for the mobility transition that 25,000 people from all over Germany have followed our call - despite the many stumbling blocks that the authorities put in our way up to the last minute. People want a different transport policy, consistent climate protection in transport and good alternatives to their own car. And they don't fall for the green flashing maneuvers of the automotive industry at the
IAA
. Right of way for the car alone is over, fat gas guzzlers and space eaters are no longer up-to-date. We want a policy that clearly prioritizes cycling, walking, buses and trains and takes climate protection in traffic seriously, ”said the alliance.
A #bearing cycle relay from Frankfurt had already left for Munich on September 6th. Last Saturday, large groups of cyclists from Regensburg, Augsburg and Rosenheim, among others, started the big bike demo. A total of 16 cycle routes with tens of thousands of people from all over the Munich area led to the pedestrian demonstration in downtown Munich. The final stage of the rally was followed by a children's demo in which numerous families demanded safe paths, especially for children.
At the big final rally on the Theresienwiese, the demo alliance demanded the fair distribution of public space with priority for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, the massive expansion of buses and trains and climate-neutral traffic by 2035. The organization of the #free demo was in advance made considerably more difficult by the Bavarian authorities.
Several routes had to be rescheduled significantly a few days before the demo, and the route through sections of the motorway was completely prohibited.
Everyday bicycle traffic in Munich was significantly impeded during the IAA.
The alliance sharply criticized the unequal treatment of civil society in relation to the automotive industry in the use of public space.
About the Alliance:
The action alliance includes the General German Bicycle Club (ADFC), the globalization-critical network Attac, Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND), Campact, Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), Greenpeace, NaturFreunde Deutschlands and the ecological traffic club VCD. The alliance of environmental and transport associations calls for a real change in mobility with significantly reduced car traffic and much more pedestrian, bicycle and public transport.