MOBILITY STARTSWITHIN US!

The project "Neue Mobilität Berlin" showed exemplarily, how the German Car Sharing Act effective from September 2017, can be applied within our neighborhoods. For this purpose, two carsharing parking spots were set up on Tauroggener Straße and a temporary (until September 30, 2017) hangout and event location called "Garden Lounge" was put in place on Mindener Straße.

This is a way to enable local authorities to increase the availability of carsharing vehicles by redesignating parking spaces into carsharing locations.

Within the scope of the project "Neue Mobilität Berlin", the district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf wants to test the feasibility of the Car Sharing Act on the Mierendorff-Island and in the Klausenerplatz-Kiez. For each car that has verifiably been deregistered, a parking spot should be redesigned for carsharing, rentable electric cargo bikes, bike sharing or similar purposes.

The conversion of 1% of existing parking spaces, according to a traffic simulator of the Technical University (TU) Berlin, gives a noticeable relief of the parking situation in both pilot neighborhoods.

Studies by the city administration of Munich and Vienna show that one carsharing vehicle can replace up to six private cars. An important indication of how the lack of space can be reduced in growing cities where the pressure for parking spots constantly increases.

From August 28 to September 10, 2016, alternative uses of public space and different mobility offers were put in place in the pilot neighbourhoods Mierendorff-Island and Klausenerplatz-Kiez to provide more quality of life to residents. We would like to praise the car owners that parked their cars at a location outside the pilot areas for the duration of the action weeks. Thanks to them, space for a temporary redesign of parking areas was available, without losing any parking spaces or adding further parking pressure in the neighbourhoods. Most importantly, they agreed to test their own mobility behaviors for two weeks without their private car.

Two parking spots per pilot area were redesigned for carsharing purposes, to ensure availability of vehicles for those who moved their private car to a different parking space.

The action weeks were conceived by local residents and entrepreneurs in three public meetings. Ideas for improving mobility and urban life have been developed and implemented, in accorance with local public space regulations.

Upon request of local residents, Jenny Wieland (BVV member, BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN) asked at the City District Council Assembly of Charlottenburg on September 15, 2016: “May the garden lounge remain in the Mierendorff-Kiez?”. The related request was sent to the Committee for Urban Development and approved without amendments at the meeting on September 25, 2016, as well as at the BVV follow-up meeting on December 15, 2016.

No, this seating/garden lounge was developed following the call for more quality of life on public street space of local residents. The project has been worked on in 3 public meetings on the Mierendorff-ISLAND (2016) and upon conclusion the garden lounge seemed to be the most suitable solution.

Such participatory processes might have completely different outcomes elsewhere. We assume that each district is confronted with different challenges and that alternative approaches for more mobility and togetherness in the neighborhood will surely be part of it. You can always reach out to your district office to find out if there are any ongoing projects regarding this topic.