Berlin’s car ban campaign: ‘It’s about how we want to live, breathe and play’ The Guardian
Leander Jones
Wed 6 Oct 2021 13.08 BST
Petition to forbid private car use in area equal in size to London’s zones 1 and 2 has collected 50,000 backers
A citizens’ initiative calling for a ban on private car use in central Berlin would create the largest car-free urban area in the world.
The campaign group Berlin Autofrei has taken the first step in a process known as the people’s referendum, submitting a petition with more than 50,000 signatures calling for a ban covering the 88 sq km (34 sq mile) area circled by the “S-Bahn ring” trainline – an area roughly equal in size to all the boroughs in London’s zones 1 and 2.
People who depend on their cars for their trade or because they have impaired mobility would be exempt, as would emergency services. Everyone else would each be permitted up to 12 rented car journeys a year – in case they need to move house, for example.