Bicycles are parked on the sidewalk in Neukölln, Berlin, in December.
Photo: Jens Kalaene/dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images A striking detail hidden away in Berlin’s new parking regulations threatens to intensify the struggle between drivers and cyclists vying for space on the streets.
After Jan. 1, drivers will have to pay an extra euro ($1.05) per hour for street parking citywide, the new rules state. But two-wheeled vehicles (bikes, motorbikes and everything in between) can use these spaces for free — spaces that the public had hitherto largely assumed were reserved for motor vehicles.
The new rules have drawn criticism from drivers and cyclists alike, who anticipate a situation that the tabloid B.Z . has dubbed a “street brawl by law.” On social media, a few pro-bike advocates have threatened to plant a bike in every space they find just to spite car owners; in turn, drivers have warned that they’ll toss any bike they find in a space.
According to the city’s government, the regulation isn’t intended to stoke the war on cars — it’s about uncluttering sidewalks. “The goal behind it is very clear,” Berlin’s mobility commissioner Bettina Jarasch told Radio Berlin Brandenburg last week. “I finally want bicycles, scooters and other small vehicles to disappear from the sidewalks, where they have been legally tolerated until now.”
A stroll around any busy Berlin neighborhood can confirm the problem Jarasch mentions. Sidewalks are often partially blocked with bikes, not just stacked in racks but chained to railings, lampposts and trees. While many Berlin […]
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