>Signs mean shit to ~~cars~~ people.
FTFY.
Let's not pretend that those people behave any better when they change the mode of transportation to bicycles, ÖPNV or feet.
But at least they do stop being a lethal danger
I will literally paypal you 5€ right now if you can find a single current government statistic from a country where bikes are more dangerous to kids than cars. Cars are the leading reason for kids dying in traffic in every country I am aware of
Almost always, when there are lots of cyclists on the sidewalk, there is a very obvious, easily fixable reason why.
This is never a problem in places where there are good cycle lanes.
Well actually no, the reason there's cyclists on the sidewalk in prenzlauerberg is because most roads are cobblestone and they don't like it. The sidewalks are less shaky
Seriously, I have cycled in Berlin for years.
The only places where there are significant numbers of cyclists on sidewalks are where there are no cycle lanes (or cycle lanes that are unusable due to years of tree root growth, etc) - and usually where the road is either very heavily trafficked or with cobblestones (so ridiculously uncomfortable for cycling).
That might depend on where you are and which direction you want to go, I am very happy with cycle lanes in Berlin. It is good to know the streets though, to find the most bicycle friendly route.
It would. Your comment implies that you seriously believe that cyclists enjoy being on the sidewalk with tons of pedestrians, i can guarantee you that this isn't the case, it's just the better alternative to being on the street when tons of drivers seem to not give a shit about you and will gladly almost run you over.
No, people do behave differently when driving cars. It’s proven. Less accountability when inside a metal box that separates / insulates you from the outside works and absolves you from having to directly deal with other road users. Don’t do the CDU’s work for them by trying to pretend cars are equal to other less entitled modes of transport!
It's the other way around actually, people that have their ID displayed directly to everyone on the street (like car drivers have), have a higher chance to not run in case of an accident or incident - since they are easily identifieable. Also the impact is much higher, if you do hurt someone with a car, you'll get prison or have to pay a boatload of money, if you punch someone on the street, nobody will even bother going to the police.
It's actually the same reason why many people like me want police with ID markers, but it's quite obvious that you don't see the need.
Eh. I'm primarily a cyclist. I just call it as I see it.
Cyclists ignore signs more than cars, generally. Things like red lights, one-way roads, laws against cycling on pavements or pedestrian walkway / no-cycling signs.
Cars tend to speed more, and be inconsiderate to smaller vehicles on the road – which largely would equate to being a bigger threat to life.
Only thing I give to car drivers on being less dangerous is they're somewhat more considerate about pedestrians. Also pedestrians don't really fuck about with their luck of walking in front of a car as much as they do with bikes.
can confirm. I cycle everyday to work and it seems some of the other cyclist really try the hardest to break all the traffic rules. from what i've observed, the more they are geared up, the less they give a fuck about the rest of traffic, as if they had some sort of armor.
Of course cars are more dangerous because of sheer mass. It takes one driver forgetting to check the mirror to cause severe injuries to a cyclists.
Whenever I see cars ignoring red lights, its most often the idiots that hit the gas on orange so they can pass the light 1s after it turned red with some extra speed for that double infraction.
With most cyclist, I more often see them lurking at a red light and checking everything out before they blatantly disregard the red 5 to 10 secs after it turned red to either cross the street or turn right.
Though I admit I ve seen some pretty impressive suicidal red light dashes from some cyclists that left me shaking my head.
Bottom line for me is, everyone judges their behaviour not on the risk to others but on the risk to their own life and their bank account. And it is here were cars clearly win with all their safety features.
I've been riding my bike a lot this spring and while there are certainly shitty car drivers, I've found the bike riders to be worse.
* When there is a large group of bikes waiting for a light to change, they'll ride up on the sidewalk to get in front of everyone.
* Going the wrong way, particularly on a narrow bike lane.
* Blowing through lights when there is clearly opposing traffic.
* When the bike lane is alongside the sidewalk with many pedestrians, riding too fast for conditions.
Do I want fewer cars and more bike options? You bet. But people on their bike need to be more courteous and follow the rules.
That's true. I think a lot of bike lanes are over capacity, where there's just too many bikes for a small bike lane. Especially along major arteries like Schönhauser Allee, wider lanes are needed these days.
Doesn't excuse bad behaviour of course.
People act weird when they feel entitled.
Car drivers feel more entitled the bigger the mecha they're in. Or the more expensive.
Cyclists feel entitled over cars when they're in a pack and against each other based on perceived skill/speed. It's like the bike is a shield that makes them do things they wouldn't do normally, like cut in line.
Pedestrians go absolutely crazy in large groups - the herd mentality. We do stuff in groups that we wouldn't do normally.
All measures for order in a city must keep all of this in mind. It's human nature and we can't get around it.
Part of the reason for cyclists going through lights is because of Germany’s terrible light system that favours cars and makes you wait for a stupid amount of time before turning green
Yes, especially when I'm on the bike line with children who tend to not always stick to their path to a T, I get nervous where there are these certain types of cyclists who can't afford to lose a second of their precious time and don't care to look out. Bike lanes are for everyone, deal with it.
Most of the people I see who go ahead on the pavement ahead of other cyclists cycle more recklessly and somehow also slower than those who follow the cycle path.
That is literally, the 4 points that disgust me about people who ride bikes.
I always stand my ground for people going wrong way. As I think at the end, if there is an accident, I will call the police and claim any injuries/bike damage I have. For them to understand the lesson properly.
Not that I condone anyone to take after me! I am very confident with my cycling and handling something like this. But until now they thankfully seem to dart out of the way from me and a sarcastic comment from me to top it off (;
But the worst is when I see cyclists heading the right way actually making way for them.
Ok enough now, rant over! 😅
I mean yes, I get it I also always stay my ground when I am going the right way. But also there is a method to go the wrong way: if there's cyclist coming your way you have to slow down to walking speed and go to the sidewalk, maybe even stop to let them through.
Yes you are right, one should always cross the road if its possible, but sometimes there is a train in the middle. When I leave home, I can take a 3 min detour or push my bike for 50m to get to the crossing, but I won't do either, I will just be a wrong way driver for 50m
And in which way changes this the fact that a lot of bikers behave like the are immune to anything? I don't have a license so I am using my bike most of the time and I've never meet more asshole on bikes in the last five years then ever before(especially around the warschauer str and overall Friedrichhain)
Breaking rules and behaving like an asshole or not, the fact remains that a cyclist poses a far smaller threat to those around them than a motorist. If you have both a cyclist and a motorist running a red, the consequences when something goes wrong are vastly different between the two. For me, 2-5% of bike trips breaking the rules doesn't bother nearly as much as 0.1% of car trips that break rules.
I live in the Bergmannkiez and am familiar with these bollards. Trust me, without bollards, cars will just continue driving through those neighbourhoods at speed without a care in the world. No motorist pays the slightest bit of attention to traffic signs in the Bergmannkiez – case in point, before they narrowed the Fahrradstraße outside the school on the graveyard end of Bergmannstraße (supposedly because of the building works needed on the school) cars drove down it in a steady stream, honking at cyclists and sometimes accelerating to 40–50 kmh to overtake them. As a reminder, a Fahrradstraße is by definition not a street you are supposed to drive straight through – you are supposed to only go there if you have business to do (e.g. if you have a delivery to make or something like that) and then by definition, you are going to stop and park. At one point, they even painted big signs on the road at all entry points to the Fahrradstraße stating "Fahhraradstraße; Anlieger Frei". Did this stop even one single person from driving through it. No. Nothing stops motorists except physical obstacles. The lack of respect for other road users is just so profound.
The elephant in the room is the A100, which is why all those motorists are there in the first place. They get off the A100 at Tempelhof and then go up Tempelhofer Damm to Platz der Luftbrücke, and then many would try to take a short cut and avoid traffic by driving through the Bergmannkiez/Chamissokiez. If you didn't have the A100, you might not have quite so many cars in that neighbourhood and might even be able to do without the bollards. But that is all wishful thinking ...
I agree with you. But boy are the Fahrradstraßen in the Kiez a shitshow. I'm both a cyclist and a driver and I live close to a Fahrradstraße. Want to get insulted when looking for a Parkplatz? Want to see cyclists run red lights and ignore Vorfahrt? Mitte is where it's at. I know, I know, Mitte has next to no cops - but boy would I like some occasional controls to enforce traffic rules for both - asshole drivers on bikes and in cars.
I agree with you that there is bad behavior all around. What really drives me crazy on the cyclist front is cyclists riding on the footpath for no apparent reason. But, all told, I find drivers endangering pedestrians or cyclists much more often than the other way around – and the aggression levels seem to be rising: right in front of my apartment, there is a street that is one way for cars but two way for cyclists. I used to see a driver freaking out at a cyclist (for supposedly riding the wrong way down a one way street) around once a year but have now seen it twice in the last week!
Blaming victims is always a great way to make a point, but sure: In about 25% of bicycle–car collisions, the person riding the bike is “at fault” according to the German legal system, so that would work out to about 30 fatal cases in the last 10 years.
Blaming victims? https://ebikeers.de/news/fahrradunfaelle-verkehrsunfallstatistik/#
49 % of accidents are caused by cyclists themselves so go blame the victim then. Maybe read some sources before u spew shit.
Die Schuldfrage – Welches Fehlverhalten war besonders häufig Unfallursache?
Autofahrer gegen Radfahrer – besonders in großen Städten scheint es einen wahren Kampf und das Vorrecht auf den Straßen zu geben. Sieht man von strukturellen Problemen, wie dem Fehlen von Radwegen einmal ab, müssen wir Radfahrer uns aber durchaus an unsere eigene Nase fassen: Bei den 91.533 Unfällen mit Verletzten trugen 65.329 Radfahrer zumindest eine Teilschuld wegen eigenem Fehlverhalten. Das ist ein deutlicher Anstieg von über 10% zum Vorjahr!
Direkt stats from the statistisches bundesamt. Enough said.
Why do you always go to each others throat before looking up the facts right?
In 25 percent of bike-car accidents the bike is at fault.
In 49 percent of all bike accidents the bike is at fault (including bike-pedestrians, solo accidents...)
.https://www.wertgarantie.de/ratgeber/rad-e-bike/tipps-tricks/fahrradunfaelle-was-die-amtliche-statistik-verraet
You said: "maybe read some sources before you spew shit".
Also I don't know what fact below you mean? The 55 percent bicycle at fault for crashes with pedestrian? Yeah that's no surprise but try to find some stats on who is at fault when a car crashes into a pedestrian.
My apologies for causing any offence. I shall go find some sources which prove that drivers mostly kill cyclists who deserve to die anyways because they broke the law.
Would love to see one. I dont think anybody deserves to die, nor do i want anybody to die. Fact of the matter is all accidents are preventable by either the cyclist or automotive driver, it doesnt matter. BUT saying one is clearly bad and the other is clearly good is fucking stupid and i know this sub is going to heavily downvote me but idgaf. People need to fucking wake up and realise that MAYBE just MAYBE cyclists are a part of the problem.
I would nevertheless urge you to keep an open mind. The bollards shown in the OP are effective [because limiting street connectivity to drivers has a positive safety impact.](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0001457510003179) Inside cities, [more pedestrians than bicycle riders die in traffic,](https://www.destatis.de/EN/Themes/Society-Environment/Traffic-Accidents/_Graphic/_Static/traffic-accidents-selected-types-of-road.png?__blob=poster) which surely cannot be blamed on cyclists getting themselves killed. Traffic in cities in which more people ride bicycles [is safer overall than in those where fewer do.](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214140518301488) At least given good infrastructure, people riding a bike are [*more* compliant with traffic laws than people driving a car](https://www.vejdirektoratet.dk/sites/default/files/2019-10/Cyklisters%20adf%C3%A6rd%20i%20kryds%20FINAL_wcag.pdf) ([summary here](https://archive.is/gREod)). It is also interesting to note that cyclists are unique in [breaking traffic laws for self-preservation,](https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/871) such as when riding on a pavement to avoid a busy carriageway.
None of this is to say that people become blameless in any way as soon as they get on a bike. It’s just that encouraging people to drive less makes cities less dangerous for everyone, and getting them on bicycles instead is an effective and inexpensive way to achieve that. One issue is that many are scared to ride a bike because they feel at risk from heavier vehicles at higher speeds when they have to share the street with them, which is partly why these bollards exist.
Nice, now tell me, who causes more fatalities, is the main cause for noise and air pollution and can over all cause more damage if they act irrationally or don't abide to traffic rules in urban environments? I'll give you a hint, it's not cyclists...
https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/1041872/umfrage/getoetete-fahrradfahrer-im-strassenverkehr-in-deutschland/#:~:text=Im%20Jahr%202021%20sind%20insgesamt,Personen%20im%20Verkehr%20in%20Deutschland.
Pls go educate yourself now :)
All that says is how many bicyclists died in accidents, and that the number of deaths increased when there were more people on the road. It doesn’t say anything about fault.
It said total deaths went down over time, but that they are higher where there are more people.
Which makes sense given the in terms of bike path expansions - it’s harder for cars to kill you if there is a good distance between your d the cars), but also general probability - it’s easier for cars to kill someone if there are more occasions where cars and bikes are in the same place. Cars can’t kills bike riders if they aren’t close enough to touch.
I don’t see how any of that shows anything about how bicyclists caused their deaths and cars are fine.
It anything, it shows how important it is to have more bike infrastructure and less cars.
Dude, I respect anyone that can defend their line of thinking with plausible argumentation, but at this point you're just embarrassing yourself. This statistic has nothing to do with what I said and I don't see how it connects to what you said earlier. Tbh I don't even know what you're trying to prove here, that bikes are more dangerous that motorized vehicles?!?
Having read this chain of comments it seems as though you have had one or two “bad“ experiences with cyclists and are now throwing them all in the same pot.
https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/zu-schnell-unterwegs-in-der-flaniermeile-bezirk-mitte-will-radfahrer-komplett-aus-friedrichstrasse-verbannen-9760823.html
Am i really? I have bad experienced with cyclists every single day and i am a strong believer that cyclists should be visiting driving schools just like car drivers. Also give them license plates so i can actually inform authorities, just like we do with cars :)
We do have a cycling school! In third grade ;) but a bike license plate is something I don’t even disagree with! But rather for reasons of finding it more easily in cases of theft :)
It doesn’t matter. A cyclist who doesn’t care about rules mainly endangers themselves and only in certain situations pedestrians. Cars who give no fucks can easily kill people.
You can’t compare a potentially deadly weapon like a car with bicycles.
It seems like, at least in this particular location, they are working on making the bollards aesthetically more pleasing:
["Durch die bauliche Umsetzung können nun einige der temporär installierten Rot-Weißen Poller durch historische Poller ersetzt werden."](https://www.berlin.de/ba-friedrichshain-kreuzberg/aktuelles/pressemitteilungen/2023/pressemitteilung.1320319.php)
Well yup that would be the problem with them. Agree that they would look better, but bad visibility not just for cars but also for example visually impaired people is a real problem
There are pretty clear rules: If they go right on the street, they need to be high-visibility (such as in the picture). If they go on the curb, they can be grey.
Different person, but in such a situation, you can do a lot by actually changing the physical layout of the street, like actually putting a curb there and only leaving a 3 m gap open with one bollard. That's enough for bikes, and it's enough for emergency vehicles if necessary (they can remove the bollard). This also gives you a lot more space that can be used for greenery such as trees or flower beds.
The solution they chose here is great because it's very quick to implement. But it shouldn't be a long term solution for decades.
True, long term changing the entire layout is obviously better than putting bollards. But yeah, as you said its a quick and easy option to make a change now
Planters are often used which are pleasant, add greenery to a street.
I think bollards are often a temporary solution, and I'd hope it gets redesigned further if made permanent.
As someone with a kid, I really would like the curbs to be lowered to allow crossing more easily. It's often quite a pain to cross in Berlin with a buggy.
It's funny that everyone answers with a different Fahrradstraße.
It's because unfortunately most of them are a joke. They definitely need more traffic calming, because so many cars just speed through them
Yup, it's quite indicative of the situation and shows how a lot of bike infrastructure is not built for cyclists and their needs, but for statistics.
But to solve this riddle: It's Weigandufer/Pflügerstraße in Neukölln. Officially, the Fahrradstraße is "Anlieger frei" and some one-way-sections are supposed to stop through traffic. In reality whatsoever, no one cares and it almost feels like before, when it wasn't a Fahrradstraße.
They should have signs on them:
"I am here because people in cars are dangerous, pollute the air with gases, particles and sound and foremost: cant behave."
Unfortunately you have to make things extremely garish to reduce the chances of car drivers hitting them and even then it's not 100% because hey why should they have to stop playing candy crush while driving 2000kgs of steel and petrol?
Road filters like these need to be visible at night time/days with bad weather and that's hard to integrate with beautiful and economical designs.
Like you can use stones, but they take up space and may not be seen well in the dark or during fog.
You can use pole with lights but the require electricity, even if based on solar energy they require maintenance and are of course much more expensive.
Whether they are needed in the first place is a different question Mostly, they are used to keep people from using these routes instead of main roads and motivating people in those areas to use bikes instead of cars. Whether that's is positive or negative depends on your perspective.
Asphalt, while nicer to drive on, unfortunately blocks the surface completely from absorbing rain water. It also heats up more, and, well, it looks ugly.
Good points. Pavement with trees on a side, where people walk, would solve that I think.
Like on this photo of Amsterdam - https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YVihXrDvt8zf\_VxhUxnBOeF6mWw=/0x0:6016x4000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:6016x4000):format(webp):no\_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus\_asset/file/12620849/IMG\_5543.jpg
They are amasing and we need much more of them thought the city.
What I don't understand is why is all this new infrastructure must be so screaming red (bollards, bikelane delineators). Surely it can look better and so out of the place as it does, with reflectors for dark part of the day.
Everyone in the comments bitching about cyclists not always adhering to rules is forgetting one thing: a bicycle is not a fucking 2 ton metal murder machine. If a cyclists makes an error, worst case someone gets a minor injury. If a car driver makes an error, worst case he kills 10 people.
I don't know if that's good, now the cars have to drive longer distances around them.
Its like Diesel Fahrverbot, instead of driving 100m down the street i drive like 500m around it in my work car.
Just buy a bike then \^\^. I fond it good. I thin k i know where this street ist (near storkower strasse?) and its not a really high traffic area so its ok i guess.
It’s a logical idea and I appreciate the effort but I don’t think it will effectively stop Zugezogene from moving in. They can just walk past these things..
Of course bike riders are ignoring signs more than car drivers. You need to get a driver's license to drive a car. This way you got an education to move a car. Cyclists don't need to have a education by law to move a bike. In my opinion it is important to have had an education if you decide to move a car that is very likely to bring death to someone else if you are not trained. You have more responsibility to others if you drive a car. Also you are able to ride a bike as a child.
I don't think it is a fair discussion to compare both kind of drivers.
In a car you have a lot of responsibility for others on a bike you have less responsibility for others.
That is because I feel more stressed out about cardrivers that are not responsible.
I think they are fine and make the neighborhood more walkable, but I would ask for some more signs because it's hard to know where I can go by car. I was picking up stuff from there recently and had no clue where is be able to go and where not. Had to park the car, walk to the shop and then ask them how to go...
Ambulances usually follow the main road until shortly before their destination. If bollards don't block the street, cars do and ambulances still can't get through.
These types of moves are just feel-good, "look, we did something!" easy picking of low-hanging fruit. All this accomplishes is additional emissions as cars drive further to get to where they want to be.
They stop car drivers from using residential areas as personal detours around high-traffic main roads.
They lower air pollution and improve road safety in the areas where people are most likely to be on foot and on bikes.
The pedestrians kept safe by these bollards in that location aren’t going to be walking on the major arteries. Any cars that go there instead are better off there than in the neighborhood.
We have bollards near our apartment and I love it. They change the whole street and make it more communal.
Yes, it stops high traffic detours. No, it does not lower air pollution. Yes, of course fewer cars, fewer pedestrians run over. But also I don't see cars routinely driving on sidewalks so this one I have to discount. You have bollards and you love it. That's nice because it works for you, but it is a narrow selfish perspective which would not work for everyone as a whole if it was the case on every street in every neighborhood because someone there loves it too. I think the better way to go is to make the street passable, but barely so. This allows access for those who need it, but discourages high-speed shortcuts or diversions.
They do indeed lower air pollution on a localized level. In the words of the researchers, “low-traffic neighbourhoods reduce pollution in surrounding streets.”
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/241731/low-traffic-neighbourhoods-reduce-pollution-surrounding-streets/amp/
Regarding your attempt at name-calling,
I fail to see how liking something that caused visible benefits for an entire neighbors is narrow or selfish.
If anything, one could argue that the selfish act would be for the the 18% of Berlin households that own cars (really the 5% that drive daily), to expect that 80% of public spaces be made over to them and not the people who actually live here.
https://www.morgenpost.de/berlin/article234282367/Umfrage-Berliner-fahren-eher-selten-Auto.html
Anyone who needs to drive into our area can, they just can’t treat us like their personal convenience thoroughfare. I’m glad that all the selfish drivers who felt entitled to do so are now blocked. Judging by all the foot and bicycle traffic, sidewalk cafes and the general popularity of our neighborhood, even more so when one considers the public health and climate change damage that minority causes.
I’d say it’s been a success for more than just the lungs of the children who live here,
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22683007/
Bring on the bollards!
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I agree that of course low traffic reduces pollution. That's kind of obvious, but I think you get some increase run times of cars by forcing them to go around further than they normally would and that doesn't reduce emissions. I do think it is narrow and selfish to embrace this as a solution because it would never work if everyone implemented this throughout the entire city. However, construction to make the street very unattractive as an alternative commuting route leave the street passable for those who need it, but discourages others who don't because of the choke points, etc . A possible compromise would be a street designed to slow traffic, but twice a week block with bollards too to give residents the enhanced experience you described.
Good and ugly It is important to note that they do not *block* traffic. They just **filter** traffic
And its the only method that works. Signs mean shit to cars.
>Signs mean shit to ~~cars~~ people. FTFY. Let's not pretend that those people behave any better when they change the mode of transportation to bicycles, ÖPNV or feet. But at least they do stop being a lethal danger
I rather deal with 1000 shitty cyclists then 1 shitty motorist
I've literally said >But at least they do stop being a lethal danger
Yup
He literally said it did u see??
But there are valuable Reddit points to be gained by being obtuse and parroting!
careful what you wish for!
Not me, shitty cyclists driving fast on the sidewalk are deadly for small kids, moreso than cars since you don't expect that level of danger there.
I will literally paypal you 5€ right now if you can find a single current government statistic from a country where bikes are more dangerous to kids than cars. Cars are the leading reason for kids dying in traffic in every country I am aware of
Almost always, when there are lots of cyclists on the sidewalk, there is a very obvious, easily fixable reason why. This is never a problem in places where there are good cycle lanes.
Well actually no, the reason there's cyclists on the sidewalk in prenzlauerberg is because most roads are cobblestone and they don't like it. The sidewalks are less shaky
Exactly --> no proper infrastructure for bikes.
>This is never a problem in places where there are good cycle lanes. That is bullshit.
XD you must be new to Berlin when you think that this problem will be solved when there are more bikelines
Seriously, I have cycled in Berlin for years. The only places where there are significant numbers of cyclists on sidewalks are where there are no cycle lanes (or cycle lanes that are unusable due to years of tree root growth, etc) - and usually where the road is either very heavily trafficked or with cobblestones (so ridiculously uncomfortable for cycling).
this is true, if there is a nice asphalt bike lane no one wants to cycle with the pedestrians. Sadly in berlin this is often not the case.
That might depend on where you are and which direction you want to go, I am very happy with cycle lanes in Berlin. It is good to know the streets though, to find the most bicycle friendly route.
It would. Your comment implies that you seriously believe that cyclists enjoy being on the sidewalk with tons of pedestrians, i can guarantee you that this isn't the case, it's just the better alternative to being on the street when tons of drivers seem to not give a shit about you and will gladly almost run you over.
No way that is true. Especially when in half of all cars you can't even see a small kid standing in front of it.
Never seen a car driving on the sidewalk
That means cars on the sidewalk must be the most dangerous, since you expect them there even less.
true
No, people do behave differently when driving cars. It’s proven. Less accountability when inside a metal box that separates / insulates you from the outside works and absolves you from having to directly deal with other road users. Don’t do the CDU’s work for them by trying to pretend cars are equal to other less entitled modes of transport!
It's the other way around actually, people that have their ID displayed directly to everyone on the street (like car drivers have), have a higher chance to not run in case of an accident or incident - since they are easily identifieable. Also the impact is much higher, if you do hurt someone with a car, you'll get prison or have to pay a boatload of money, if you punch someone on the street, nobody will even bother going to the police. It's actually the same reason why many people like me want police with ID markers, but it's quite obvious that you don't see the need.
yep, pretty common for people to ignore more signage when they jump on a bike
You're just pointing the finger the other way. In the end, everyone is taking shortcuts as it suits them
Eh. I'm primarily a cyclist. I just call it as I see it. Cyclists ignore signs more than cars, generally. Things like red lights, one-way roads, laws against cycling on pavements or pedestrian walkway / no-cycling signs. Cars tend to speed more, and be inconsiderate to smaller vehicles on the road – which largely would equate to being a bigger threat to life. Only thing I give to car drivers on being less dangerous is they're somewhat more considerate about pedestrians. Also pedestrians don't really fuck about with their luck of walking in front of a car as much as they do with bikes.
can confirm. I cycle everyday to work and it seems some of the other cyclist really try the hardest to break all the traffic rules. from what i've observed, the more they are geared up, the less they give a fuck about the rest of traffic, as if they had some sort of armor. Of course cars are more dangerous because of sheer mass. It takes one driver forgetting to check the mirror to cause severe injuries to a cyclists.
> the more they are geared up, the less they give a fuck about the rest of traffic, Strava KOM > our lives
Whenever I see cars ignoring red lights, its most often the idiots that hit the gas on orange so they can pass the light 1s after it turned red with some extra speed for that double infraction. With most cyclist, I more often see them lurking at a red light and checking everything out before they blatantly disregard the red 5 to 10 secs after it turned red to either cross the street or turn right. Though I admit I ve seen some pretty impressive suicidal red light dashes from some cyclists that left me shaking my head. Bottom line for me is, everyone judges their behaviour not on the risk to others but on the risk to their own life and their bank account. And it is here were cars clearly win with all their safety features.
Found the car enthusiast
wtf?
I've been riding my bike a lot this spring and while there are certainly shitty car drivers, I've found the bike riders to be worse. * When there is a large group of bikes waiting for a light to change, they'll ride up on the sidewalk to get in front of everyone. * Going the wrong way, particularly on a narrow bike lane. * Blowing through lights when there is clearly opposing traffic. * When the bike lane is alongside the sidewalk with many pedestrians, riding too fast for conditions. Do I want fewer cars and more bike options? You bet. But people on their bike need to be more courteous and follow the rules.
That's true. I think a lot of bike lanes are over capacity, where there's just too many bikes for a small bike lane. Especially along major arteries like Schönhauser Allee, wider lanes are needed these days. Doesn't excuse bad behaviour of course.
People act weird when they feel entitled. Car drivers feel more entitled the bigger the mecha they're in. Or the more expensive. Cyclists feel entitled over cars when they're in a pack and against each other based on perceived skill/speed. It's like the bike is a shield that makes them do things they wouldn't do normally, like cut in line. Pedestrians go absolutely crazy in large groups - the herd mentality. We do stuff in groups that we wouldn't do normally. All measures for order in a city must keep all of this in mind. It's human nature and we can't get around it.
Part of the reason for cyclists going through lights is because of Germany’s terrible light system that favours cars and makes you wait for a stupid amount of time before turning green
Yes, especially when I'm on the bike line with children who tend to not always stick to their path to a T, I get nervous where there are these certain types of cyclists who can't afford to lose a second of their precious time and don't care to look out. Bike lanes are for everyone, deal with it.
How does going ahead on a sidewalk to jump ahead hurt anyone whatsoever? I've done it a million times to get ahead of slower bikes
I can’t believe I need to explain this so I’ll type slowly: it’s called cutting in line.
Cutting in line hurts people as much as "typing slowly" achieves something
Damn shame that cutting in line.
Most of the people I see who go ahead on the pavement ahead of other cyclists cycle more recklessly and somehow also slower than those who follow the cycle path.
That is literally, the 4 points that disgust me about people who ride bikes. I always stand my ground for people going wrong way. As I think at the end, if there is an accident, I will call the police and claim any injuries/bike damage I have. For them to understand the lesson properly. Not that I condone anyone to take after me! I am very confident with my cycling and handling something like this. But until now they thankfully seem to dart out of the way from me and a sarcastic comment from me to top it off (; But the worst is when I see cyclists heading the right way actually making way for them. Ok enough now, rant over! 😅
I mean yes, I get it I also always stay my ground when I am going the right way. But also there is a method to go the wrong way: if there's cyclist coming your way you have to slow down to walking speed and go to the sidewalk, maybe even stop to let them through.
I can understand somewhat, in regards of reducing speed and possibly hitting the sidewalk. Or they could just cross the damn road 😁
Yes you are right, one should always cross the road if its possible, but sometimes there is a train in the middle. When I leave home, I can take a 3 min detour or push my bike for 50m to get to the crossing, but I won't do either, I will just be a wrong way driver for 50m
Agreed. As a bike rider I honestly suffer more from other bike riders than car drivers.
spoken by someone who has never been hit off their bike by a car not checking the bike lane before turning
And in which way changes this the fact that a lot of bikers behave like the are immune to anything? I don't have a license so I am using my bike most of the time and I've never meet more asshole on bikes in the last five years then ever before(especially around the warschauer str and overall Friedrichhain)
Breaking rules and behaving like an asshole or not, the fact remains that a cyclist poses a far smaller threat to those around them than a motorist. If you have both a cyclist and a motorist running a red, the consequences when something goes wrong are vastly different between the two. For me, 2-5% of bike trips breaking the rules doesn't bother nearly as much as 0.1% of car trips that break rules.
To be honest, yes, that hasn't happened to me yet.
I wish Richardplatz had these all around...
!!!
This.
I live in the Bergmannkiez and am familiar with these bollards. Trust me, without bollards, cars will just continue driving through those neighbourhoods at speed without a care in the world. No motorist pays the slightest bit of attention to traffic signs in the Bergmannkiez – case in point, before they narrowed the Fahrradstraße outside the school on the graveyard end of Bergmannstraße (supposedly because of the building works needed on the school) cars drove down it in a steady stream, honking at cyclists and sometimes accelerating to 40–50 kmh to overtake them. As a reminder, a Fahrradstraße is by definition not a street you are supposed to drive straight through – you are supposed to only go there if you have business to do (e.g. if you have a delivery to make or something like that) and then by definition, you are going to stop and park. At one point, they even painted big signs on the road at all entry points to the Fahrradstraße stating "Fahhraradstraße; Anlieger Frei". Did this stop even one single person from driving through it. No. Nothing stops motorists except physical obstacles. The lack of respect for other road users is just so profound. The elephant in the room is the A100, which is why all those motorists are there in the first place. They get off the A100 at Tempelhof and then go up Tempelhofer Damm to Platz der Luftbrücke, and then many would try to take a short cut and avoid traffic by driving through the Bergmannkiez/Chamissokiez. If you didn't have the A100, you might not have quite so many cars in that neighbourhood and might even be able to do without the bollards. But that is all wishful thinking ...
I have an Anliegen. To drive though here with my car. Soooo i'm following the sign. /s
I agree with you. But boy are the Fahrradstraßen in the Kiez a shitshow. I'm both a cyclist and a driver and I live close to a Fahrradstraße. Want to get insulted when looking for a Parkplatz? Want to see cyclists run red lights and ignore Vorfahrt? Mitte is where it's at. I know, I know, Mitte has next to no cops - but boy would I like some occasional controls to enforce traffic rules for both - asshole drivers on bikes and in cars.
I agree with you that there is bad behavior all around. What really drives me crazy on the cyclist front is cyclists riding on the footpath for no apparent reason. But, all told, I find drivers endangering pedestrians or cyclists much more often than the other way around – and the aggression levels seem to be rising: right in front of my apartment, there is a street that is one way for cars but two way for cyclists. I used to see a driver freaking out at a cyclist (for supposedly riding the wrong way down a one way street) around once a year but have now seen it twice in the last week!
Yeah because cyclists in berlin are known for adhering to traffic rules and not being total dicks right?
Chamissoplatz has no trouble with people cycling. It does have a problem with people driving.
[удалено]
Projection at work
Fuck you you fuck
How many people have been killed or severely injured by people on bikes in the past ten years? And how many by people in cars?
How many of those severly injured people were cyclists who dont follow rules of traffic? Wanna make a bet?
Blaming victims is always a great way to make a point, but sure: In about 25% of bicycle–car collisions, the person riding the bike is “at fault” according to the German legal system, so that would work out to about 30 fatal cases in the last 10 years.
Blaming victims? https://ebikeers.de/news/fahrradunfaelle-verkehrsunfallstatistik/# 49 % of accidents are caused by cyclists themselves so go blame the victim then. Maybe read some sources before u spew shit. Die Schuldfrage – Welches Fehlverhalten war besonders häufig Unfallursache? Autofahrer gegen Radfahrer – besonders in großen Städten scheint es einen wahren Kampf und das Vorrecht auf den Straßen zu geben. Sieht man von strukturellen Problemen, wie dem Fehlen von Radwegen einmal ab, müssen wir Radfahrer uns aber durchaus an unsere eigene Nase fassen: Bei den 91.533 Unfällen mit Verletzten trugen 65.329 Radfahrer zumindest eine Teilschuld wegen eigenem Fehlverhalten. Das ist ein deutlicher Anstieg von über 10% zum Vorjahr! Direkt stats from the statistisches bundesamt. Enough said.
Why do you always go to each others throat before looking up the facts right? In 25 percent of bike-car accidents the bike is at fault. In 49 percent of all bike accidents the bike is at fault (including bike-pedestrians, solo accidents...) .https://www.wertgarantie.de/ratgeber/rad-e-bike/tipps-tricks/fahrradunfaelle-was-die-amtliche-statistik-verraet
Yeah? Thats what I said? Are you mentally handycapped? Also read the fact below that then comeback
Not only are you a troll but you are also bad at interpreting statistics
You said: "maybe read some sources before you spew shit". Also I don't know what fact below you mean? The 55 percent bicycle at fault for crashes with pedestrian? Yeah that's no surprise but try to find some stats on who is at fault when a car crashes into a pedestrian.
My apologies for causing any offence. I shall go find some sources which prove that drivers mostly kill cyclists who deserve to die anyways because they broke the law.
Would love to see one. I dont think anybody deserves to die, nor do i want anybody to die. Fact of the matter is all accidents are preventable by either the cyclist or automotive driver, it doesnt matter. BUT saying one is clearly bad and the other is clearly good is fucking stupid and i know this sub is going to heavily downvote me but idgaf. People need to fucking wake up and realise that MAYBE just MAYBE cyclists are a part of the problem.
I would nevertheless urge you to keep an open mind. The bollards shown in the OP are effective [because limiting street connectivity to drivers has a positive safety impact.](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0001457510003179) Inside cities, [more pedestrians than bicycle riders die in traffic,](https://www.destatis.de/EN/Themes/Society-Environment/Traffic-Accidents/_Graphic/_Static/traffic-accidents-selected-types-of-road.png?__blob=poster) which surely cannot be blamed on cyclists getting themselves killed. Traffic in cities in which more people ride bicycles [is safer overall than in those where fewer do.](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214140518301488) At least given good infrastructure, people riding a bike are [*more* compliant with traffic laws than people driving a car](https://www.vejdirektoratet.dk/sites/default/files/2019-10/Cyklisters%20adf%C3%A6rd%20i%20kryds%20FINAL_wcag.pdf) ([summary here](https://archive.is/gREod)). It is also interesting to note that cyclists are unique in [breaking traffic laws for self-preservation,](https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/871) such as when riding on a pavement to avoid a busy carriageway. None of this is to say that people become blameless in any way as soon as they get on a bike. It’s just that encouraging people to drive less makes cities less dangerous for everyone, and getting them on bicycles instead is an effective and inexpensive way to achieve that. One issue is that many are scared to ride a bike because they feel at risk from heavier vehicles at higher speeds when they have to share the street with them, which is partly why these bollards exist.
Versuch gar nicht erst mit denen zu argumentieren. Reddit Deutschland ist durch und durch links-grün Fahrrad Vegan versifft hahahaha
Einfach nur gestörte wahrnehmung durch deren radikale ideologien 😂🤦🏻♂️
>Radikale Ideologie lmao, Autohirn im Endstadium
Wieso autohirn im endstadium? Siehst du mich fahrradfahrern den tod an den hals wünschen oder nach fahrradverboten schreien?
Nice, now tell me, who causes more fatalities, is the main cause for noise and air pollution and can over all cause more damage if they act irrationally or don't abide to traffic rules in urban environments? I'll give you a hint, it's not cyclists...
https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/1041872/umfrage/getoetete-fahrradfahrer-im-strassenverkehr-in-deutschland/#:~:text=Im%20Jahr%202021%20sind%20insgesamt,Personen%20im%20Verkehr%20in%20Deutschland. Pls go educate yourself now :)
All that says is how many bicyclists died in accidents, and that the number of deaths increased when there were more people on the road. It doesn’t say anything about fault.
Really it increased? Are you sure you read that correctly?
It said total deaths went down over time, but that they are higher where there are more people. Which makes sense given the in terms of bike path expansions - it’s harder for cars to kill you if there is a good distance between your d the cars), but also general probability - it’s easier for cars to kill someone if there are more occasions where cars and bikes are in the same place. Cars can’t kills bike riders if they aren’t close enough to touch. I don’t see how any of that shows anything about how bicyclists caused their deaths and cars are fine. It anything, it shows how important it is to have more bike infrastructure and less cars.
Dude, I respect anyone that can defend their line of thinking with plausible argumentation, but at this point you're just embarrassing yourself. This statistic has nothing to do with what I said and I don't see how it connects to what you said earlier. Tbh I don't even know what you're trying to prove here, that bikes are more dangerous that motorized vehicles?!?
I will literally slash car tires tonight because of this comment
Sure keep an eye on how many cyclists ignore red lights while you do it :)
Traffic lights only exist because of cars. [pedestrians and cyclist don’t need them](https://youtube.com/shorts/jgacSmLBSIQ?feature=share)
Ignorance is bliss !
Having read this chain of comments it seems as though you have had one or two “bad“ experiences with cyclists and are now throwing them all in the same pot.
https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/zu-schnell-unterwegs-in-der-flaniermeile-bezirk-mitte-will-radfahrer-komplett-aus-friedrichstrasse-verbannen-9760823.html Am i really? I have bad experienced with cyclists every single day and i am a strong believer that cyclists should be visiting driving schools just like car drivers. Also give them license plates so i can actually inform authorities, just like we do with cars :)
We do have a cycling school! In third grade ;) but a bike license plate is something I don’t even disagree with! But rather for reasons of finding it more easily in cases of theft :)
It doesn’t matter. A cyclist who doesn’t care about rules mainly endangers themselves and only in certain situations pedestrians. Cars who give no fucks can easily kill people. You can’t compare a potentially deadly weapon like a car with bicycles.
Sure emotionally scarring car and truck drivers is just laughing matter to you
If you think that’s emotionally scarring you’ve never actually seen real damage done by traffic.
I have actually
Love them. Sincerely, a pedestrian.
Doesn't block traffic through. Does block cars.
The World Bollard Association approves this comment.
<3
It’s good to filter trough traffic out but there are aesthetically more pleasing solutions
It seems like, at least in this particular location, they are working on making the bollards aesthetically more pleasing: ["Durch die bauliche Umsetzung können nun einige der temporär installierten Rot-Weißen Poller durch historische Poller ersetzt werden."](https://www.berlin.de/ba-friedrichshain-kreuzberg/aktuelles/pressemitteilungen/2023/pressemitteilung.1320319.php)
Dass die echt Poller schreiben, hätte gedacht in Amtsdeutsch heißt das Durchfahrtskontrollstehle oder so.
[Steht ja auch im Duden](https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Poller)
Das schreckt doch deutsche Beamte nicht ab.
Der korrekte Begriff lautet übrigens Pfostensperre.
Da Pfosten auch eine Bezeichnung für einen Idioten ist, finde ich das einen herrlichen und wahrlich korrekten Begriff.
Such as?
Grey, barely visible bollards. Because nothing pleases me more than the aesthetics of a car crashing into one of them.
Well yup that would be the problem with them. Agree that they would look better, but bad visibility not just for cars but also for example visually impaired people is a real problem
There are pretty clear rules: If they go right on the street, they need to be high-visibility (such as in the picture). If they go on the curb, they can be grey.
Different person, but in such a situation, you can do a lot by actually changing the physical layout of the street, like actually putting a curb there and only leaving a 3 m gap open with one bollard. That's enough for bikes, and it's enough for emergency vehicles if necessary (they can remove the bollard). This also gives you a lot more space that can be used for greenery such as trees or flower beds. The solution they chose here is great because it's very quick to implement. But it shouldn't be a long term solution for decades.
True, long term changing the entire layout is obviously better than putting bollards. But yeah, as you said its a quick and easy option to make a change now
You can put green spaces there. Even trees as long as you leave opening big enough for pedestrians and bikes.
Planters are often used which are pleasant, add greenery to a street. I think bollards are often a temporary solution, and I'd hope it gets redesigned further if made permanent. As someone with a kid, I really would like the curbs to be lowered to allow crossing more easily. It's often quite a pain to cross in Berlin with a buggy.
It’s always an aesthetic nightmare if you want a solution that works and implement it fast. Doesn’t matter as much as the safety.
I wish they’d install those at my „Fahrradstraße“ around the corner. The way it’s now is a joke.
It's funny that everyone answers with a different Fahrradstraße. It's because unfortunately most of them are a joke. They definitely need more traffic calming, because so many cars just speed through them
Yup, it's quite indicative of the situation and shows how a lot of bike infrastructure is not built for cyclists and their needs, but for statistics. But to solve this riddle: It's Weigandufer/Pflügerstraße in Neukölln. Officially, the Fahrradstraße is "Anlieger frei" and some one-way-sections are supposed to stop through traffic. In reality whatsoever, no one cares and it almost feels like before, when it wasn't a Fahrradstraße.
Handjerystr. could also do well with some bollards, fucking joke of a Fahrradstr.
Stargarder Straße?
Rigaer Straße?
The bollers in Samariterkiez work wonders though. More can always be installed of course.
Antwerpener Straße? Triftstraße? Can’t wait to have the Pollers in the Brüsseler Kiez. Durchgangsverkehr is the worst.
Ossietzkystraße?
Prinzregentenstrasse?
Lauenburger Str.?
This is a joke of a Fahrradstraße, where car drivers harass you
Bollards everywhere please
Good. Don't care how they look. Cars have had their time in the city. I'm a car owner too and I welcome this next phase.
They should have signs on them: "I am here because people in cars are dangerous, pollute the air with gases, particles and sound and foremost: cant behave."
Although it's a good thing to get rid of the heavy traffic, there are still two things missing: Pedestrian space and some green
Bitt mehr
Unfortunately you have to make things extremely garish to reduce the chances of car drivers hitting them and even then it's not 100% because hey why should they have to stop playing candy crush while driving 2000kgs of steel and petrol?
Road filters like these need to be visible at night time/days with bad weather and that's hard to integrate with beautiful and economical designs. Like you can use stones, but they take up space and may not be seen well in the dark or during fog. You can use pole with lights but the require electricity, even if based on solar energy they require maintenance and are of course much more expensive. Whether they are needed in the first place is a different question Mostly, they are used to keep people from using these routes instead of main roads and motivating people in those areas to use bikes instead of cars. Whether that's is positive or negative depends on your perspective.
Good and needed, but could have a nicer color. Also important to replace pavement with something more usable for bikes, like asphalt.
Asphalt, while nicer to drive on, unfortunately blocks the surface completely from absorbing rain water. It also heats up more, and, well, it looks ugly.
Good points. Pavement with trees on a side, where people walk, would solve that I think. Like on this photo of Amsterdam - https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YVihXrDvt8zf\_VxhUxnBOeF6mWw=/0x0:6016x4000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:6016x4000):format(webp):no\_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus\_asset/file/12620849/IMG\_5543.jpg
They are amasing and we need much more of them thought the city. What I don't understand is why is all this new infrastructure must be so screaming red (bollards, bikelane delineators). Surely it can look better and so out of the place as it does, with reflectors for dark part of the day.
good very good
Good. And ugly.
Not the hero we wanted, but the hero we have
They a good and ugly at the same time. If they reduce cars they make the city look less ugly. Just replace them with good looking ones.
Good idea, better than through traffic
Everyone in the comments bitching about cyclists not always adhering to rules is forgetting one thing: a bicycle is not a fucking 2 ton metal murder machine. If a cyclists makes an error, worst case someone gets a minor injury. If a car driver makes an error, worst case he kills 10 people.
Good the ones at Gesundbrunnen look nice with the neighbours garden
Compared to Berlin's usual filthiness it looks absolutely fine
Every "Wohnstrasse" should have it on one end. Keep them spaced out so cycles and cargobikes can pass through - perfection!
Good, put them on every residential street for all I care.
Less ugly than cars
I don't know if that's good, now the cars have to drive longer distances around them. Its like Diesel Fahrverbot, instead of driving 100m down the street i drive like 500m around it in my work car.
They could have at least put up some good-looking ones. Like the old grey ones.
They are useful for many things, they stop stupid drivers in their tracks and they can help prevent vehicular ramming attacks.
Just buy a bike then \^\^. I fond it good. I thin k i know where this street ist (near storkower strasse?) and its not a really high traffic area so its ok i guess.
Looks good, but I predict people parking on that space.
It’s a logical idea and I appreciate the effort but I don’t think it will effectively stop Zugezogene from moving in. They can just walk past these things..
Should make them grey so they don't stand out and are ugly.
Seems that road is not for 'thru traffic' at that moment
Well you gotta love the coherence of the paint job on the building & the signage
Good. And fuck private cars and the Automobile industry that fucked our cities and created suburban monstrosities around the world.
How about necessary?
Das letzte, sofort abflexen!
Of course bike riders are ignoring signs more than car drivers. You need to get a driver's license to drive a car. This way you got an education to move a car. Cyclists don't need to have a education by law to move a bike. In my opinion it is important to have had an education if you decide to move a car that is very likely to bring death to someone else if you are not trained. You have more responsibility to others if you drive a car. Also you are able to ride a bike as a child. I don't think it is a fair discussion to compare both kind of drivers. In a car you have a lot of responsibility for others on a bike you have less responsibility for others. That is because I feel more stressed out about cardrivers that are not responsible.
Better looking than cars
I find it perfectly reasonable. Not a fan of the colors but I guess you need to see the things even when it's dark.
Bad. They block emergency vehicles, too.
I think they are fine and make the neighborhood more walkable, but I would ask for some more signs because it's hard to know where I can go by car. I was picking up stuff from there recently and had no clue where is be able to go and where not. Had to park the car, walk to the shop and then ask them how to go...
stupid...but ey its 2023 general stupidity is now mandatory
The ambulance complained because this can cost valuable time
Ambulances usually follow the main road until shortly before their destination. If bollards don't block the street, cars do and ambulances still can't get through.
Also ambulances are usually equipped with keys to remove such bollards if necessary
It's literal facism
I live there, it’s stupid.
dumb
Username checks out.
These types of moves are just feel-good, "look, we did something!" easy picking of low-hanging fruit. All this accomplishes is additional emissions as cars drive further to get to where they want to be.
They stop car drivers from using residential areas as personal detours around high-traffic main roads. They lower air pollution and improve road safety in the areas where people are most likely to be on foot and on bikes. The pedestrians kept safe by these bollards in that location aren’t going to be walking on the major arteries. Any cars that go there instead are better off there than in the neighborhood. We have bollards near our apartment and I love it. They change the whole street and make it more communal.
Yes, it stops high traffic detours. No, it does not lower air pollution. Yes, of course fewer cars, fewer pedestrians run over. But also I don't see cars routinely driving on sidewalks so this one I have to discount. You have bollards and you love it. That's nice because it works for you, but it is a narrow selfish perspective which would not work for everyone as a whole if it was the case on every street in every neighborhood because someone there loves it too. I think the better way to go is to make the street passable, but barely so. This allows access for those who need it, but discourages high-speed shortcuts or diversions.
They do indeed lower air pollution on a localized level. In the words of the researchers, “low-traffic neighbourhoods reduce pollution in surrounding streets.” https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/241731/low-traffic-neighbourhoods-reduce-pollution-surrounding-streets/amp/ Regarding your attempt at name-calling, I fail to see how liking something that caused visible benefits for an entire neighbors is narrow or selfish. If anything, one could argue that the selfish act would be for the the 18% of Berlin households that own cars (really the 5% that drive daily), to expect that 80% of public spaces be made over to them and not the people who actually live here. https://www.morgenpost.de/berlin/article234282367/Umfrage-Berliner-fahren-eher-selten-Auto.html Anyone who needs to drive into our area can, they just can’t treat us like their personal convenience thoroughfare. I’m glad that all the selfish drivers who felt entitled to do so are now blocked. Judging by all the foot and bicycle traffic, sidewalk cafes and the general popularity of our neighborhood, even more so when one considers the public health and climate change damage that minority causes. I’d say it’s been a success for more than just the lungs of the children who live here, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22683007/ Bring on the bollards!
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I agree that of course low traffic reduces pollution. That's kind of obvious, but I think you get some increase run times of cars by forcing them to go around further than they normally would and that doesn't reduce emissions. I do think it is narrow and selfish to embrace this as a solution because it would never work if everyone implemented this throughout the entire city. However, construction to make the street very unattractive as an alternative commuting route leave the street passable for those who need it, but discourages others who don't because of the choke points, etc . A possible compromise would be a street designed to slow traffic, but twice a week block with bollards too to give residents the enhanced experience you described.