Why are there no more cars on Oranienstraße?

Fast Wolt drivers race past strollers, couples wearing Pali scarves walk next to dog owners and cargo bike riders, and in the middle of it all a little boy lies in a hammock reading from a book, his face completely disappearing behind the cover on which it says in bold letters: “Linus is different now”. It is a book about puberty. In the background the live band “Mr. Aunt and Mrs. Uncle” plays some jazz music.

This Friday, Oranienstraße is suddenly different. Parking Day is starting in various places in Berlin, but nowhere is it as obvious as here in Kreuzberg. The most strenuous street in the neighborhood is a pedestrian zone for one day. By the afternoon, this means above all that it is so much quieter. And: the conspicuously fashionably dressed queue in front of the vintage clothing store Voo can spread out over the entire Oranienstraße. There is a sale there.

The Parking Day organizer VCD is at least very satisfied with how the day has been received by the people of Kreuzberg: “On other days, this street is total chaos,” he says, and lists: “Delivery traffic, people parking in the second row, buses, cyclists in the middle of it all.” This is, after all, a main boulevard in the neighborhood. “And in contrast to Bergmannstrasse, there is not a single infrastructure measure here, not a bus or bicycle lane.”

This day started in 2016 as an idea to show how parking spaces can be used in alternative ways. Artists, designers and activists around the world are transforming parking spaces into temporary public parks. Flower pots, reading corners and play areas for children have been set up on Oranienstraße. The German Cyclists’ Association (ADFC) has rolled out a mobile bike path onto the street – at least for this day.

Eberhard Brodhage of the ADFC calls the election of Kai Wegner (CDU) as Governing Mayor a “turning point for everyone who has to do with non-motorized traffic.” There are 800 children injured in Berlin’s traffic every year and the Senate is reluctant to take measures to protect children and the elderly. “I can always go on: the cycle superhighways, the bicycle parking garages and many other measures are on hold.”

Brodhage has lived in Berlin for five years and knows full well that traffic on Oranienstraße is usually backed up at this time. People keep stopping next to him and taking photos of the street, simply because the image is so unusual: the cyclists, the joggers, the hammocks and the ever-growing queue in front of the vintage shop.

“Only 270 out of 1,000 Berliners have a car,” says the ADFC spokesman. “They are actually a minority, but they have a strong lobby.” How could it be that a city like Hamburg builds almost three times as many bike paths in one year as Berlin? “What is currently happening in Berlin is a policy of regression.” He adds that his view may also be influenced by the fact that he was in Copenhagen and saw how transport policy can work.

The party continued on Oranienstraße until 10 p.m. on Friday evening, and while the first band was already starting to play on Adalbertstraße, a discussion started on Rio-Reiser-Platz, where Johannes Kraft from the Pankow CDU spoke alongside the district mayor Clara Herrmann. He said: “We agree on strengthening road safety and public transport, but what we don’t want is a blind fight against cars.” No one applauded, a cyclist shouted something and rode away angrily. A man with a full body tattoo and a bag from the vintage shop walked past and looked briefly confused.