Hesse: “Park(ing) Day” for more space in the city

Hesse
“Park(ing) Day” for more space in the city

19.09.2024, 04:04

Plants, chairs and tables instead of parked cars: campaigns in many cities these days are again calling for the conversion of parking spaces, including in Hesse.

Frankfurt/Giessen (dpa/lhe) – Trees and benches instead of parked cars: Transport associations are currently calling for the repurposing of parking spaces in the city. The reason for this is the , which is taking place internationally this year between 20 and 22 September. There are also campaigns in Hesse.

On Saturday, in the Frankfurt district of Bockenheim, it will be shown what could take the place of parked cars: Plants, chairs and tables will be set up and, among other things, board games, a reading corner and a traffic turnaround quiz will be offered, as the organizer, the German Transport Club (VCD) Hessen, announced.

In Gießen, a chill-out area with sofas and plants is to be set up in parking lots this Friday as part of a climate strike. Actions are also taking place in Kassel and Neu-Isenburg (Offenbach district). In Hanau, “Park(ing) Day” is to be the theme all weekend, according to the VCD.

There was already an event in Wiesbaden last weekend. The first “Park(ing) Day” took place in San Francisco in 2005. The play on words is intended to indicate the desired transition from parking spaces to green spaces, including parks.

Sharing cars

The VCD calls for cars to be shared and for the freed-up parking spaces to be used more diversifiedly. The number of cars per 1,000 city residents has increased in recent years, although car traffic in the inner-city districts has decreased. Many people in the inner cities still had cars for safety. Car sharing could be an alternative. One such rentable car could replace 16 private cars.