From the point of view of the Changing Cities association, bad things are to be feared from a black-red coalition for climate protection and transport policy. “Black and red will not reverse climate change, we will have more summers that are even hotter,” said club spokeswoman Ragnhild Soerensen of the daily newspaper “taz” (Monday). “In traffic, the number of dead and seriously injured will increase.” The SPD and CDU are officially not climate change deniers. “But when it comes to concrete measures, they back down. They are not aware that climate protection is a task for society as a whole. They still act as if it were only the responsibility of the Greens.”
From Soerensen’s point of view, the coalition that the CDU and SPD are striving for in Berlin is a depressing prospect, but positive effects are conceivable: “Such a political constellation can even give the activists a boost to put even more pressure on the streets,” said the spokeswoman for the association, which is committed to the traffic turnaround and more climate protection. “But it’s still a disaster for the city,” she added. “We will definitely continue to power.”
A black and red Senate will probably not want to prevent the controversial further construction of the Autobahn 100. The SPD voted against it at a party conference, said Soerensen. “But I can well imagine that in the end she will say: We don’t really want her, but we can’t do anything about it because the federal government is responsible for this.”
Changes to the Berlin Mobility Act passed in 2018, which gives priority to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport in traffic planning, are also conceivable. “We see the danger,” said Soerensen. “But civil society will not accept that: that’s what we fought for, it shouldn’t be rewritten in private now.” Viewed objectively, CO2 emissions from the transport sector should also be reduced in Berlin. “Black-Red would get themselves a huge problem if they screwed around with the legal foundations that make this possible in the first place.” The coalition negotiations between the CDU and SPD are scheduled to begin on Thursday.
Election results Interview in the “taz” Information on Changing Cities Information on the Berlin Mobility Act
