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So far and no further: In the future, cars will mostly be locked out on Hamburg's Jungfernstieg
Photo:
Georg Wendt / dpa
Hamburg's Jungfernstieg has been largely car-free since Friday.
Only taxis and buses are allowed to use the road on the Inner Alster all day long.
Delivery and garbage trucks are allowed between 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Cyclists should only use the lane.
This gives pedestrians more space on the promenade by the water.
The preliminary redesign of the street should be completed in mid-November, the final redesign is scheduled for spring 2022.
The change was decided by the Hamburg governing parties, the SPD and the Greens.
A nationwide trend is thus continuing in Hamburg.
In Berlin, Friedrichstrasse is now largely car-free; in Hanover, Mayor Belit Onay is planning a heavily traffic-calmed area in the city center with fewer opportunities for cars to pass through.
Politicians hope that the centers will become more attractive and safer and that citizens will switch to environmentally friendly means of transport.
Nonsense?
Hamburg economy outraged
The Hamburg Chamber of Crafts criticized the new regulation.
Chamber President Hjalmar Stemmann described in the "Hamburger Abendblatt" the limitation of commercial traffic to the night time as "stupid cloth" (stupid stuff).
"We cannot only carry out necessary repairs and renovations at night or early in the morning."
He called for an unbureaucratic regulation of driving rights and parking permits for craftsmen and social services throughout Hamburg.
In Berlin, too, a well-known downtown shopping street is car-free: Friedrichstrasse;
but only on a 500 meter long section and as a pilot project until the end of January.
For a few weeks there has been a promenade for pedestrians and cyclists, with seating, showcases, outdoor catering and trees.
It should make it possible to experience what a big city feels like without exhaust fumes, traffic noise and traffic jams and stimulate retail.
But there are also fears among retailers that customers will now stay away.
Icon: The mirror
nis / dpa
