Federal government wants fewer parking spaces in city centres
According to the draft of the transport sectoral plan, the number of parking spaces in large cities is to be reduced. The aim is to promote public transport, cycling and walking.
The supply of parking spaces in cities is "subordinate" and is to be "selectively reduced", various media quote from the draft of the latest sectoral plan for transport, which was produced under the leadership of the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE). The paper was sent out for consultation, which will run until 15 December 2020.
The draft states that public transport, walking and cycling should be promoted by consistently reducing the number of parking spaces at the destination. Instead of parking spaces in city centres, there are to be "transport hubs". This refers to railway stations in conurbations that have many parking spaces and good road access. In future, people should switch to public transport at these stations. In its final version, the sectoral plan will be binding, and authorities at all levels will have to comply with it.
There is already resistance to this plan. According to the trade association, for example, the thrust of the proposal is not business-friendly. On the one hand, the inner-city retail trade would suffer because people would in future tend to drive to the shopping centres where they can easily find parking spaces. Craftsmen and tradesmen from outside the cities who rely on parking spaces in the cities would also be affected. (ah)
