Freising pedestrian zone: Citizens' request against planning committee!

Freising pedestrian zone: Citizens' request against planning committee!

The city of Freising is facing another chapter in the decades of debate about the pedestrian zone in the city center. With a narrow majority of 6: 8 votes, the planning committee has currently decided not to show a large pedestrian zone, which calls the "Freising for everyone" group. You do not agree with this decision and plan to initiate a citizens' request to involve the Freising population in the decision about a possible pedestrian zone. According to Merkur criticize the existing park chaos.

The citizens' Initiative calls for a fundamental review of the interests that are incorporated into the decision -making process. “Freising for everyone” makes the assumption that the existing traffic concept, which has been in force since 2014 and provides for a "small" pedestrian zone between Schiedeck and District Court, does not correspond to the opinion of the majority of citizens. This information was also taken up by the Süddeutsche that cars can continue to drive in areas such as the upper and lower main street.

The criticism of the current traffic concept

In the city center, the existing traffic concept seems to be accepted, but not everyone is enthusiastic. The groups Greens, Left and ÖDP require a comprehensive pedestrian zone and fear negative effects on accessibility and parking for retailers, restaurateurs and doctors. In Freising, the problem of wild traffic, especially on blind guidelines, has been recognized. The accident statistics Since the implementation of the current concept, there are no dramatic figures, with 87 traffic accidents, but the question of the safety of pedestrians and cyclists remains.

The "Freising for All" initiative plans to start the citizens' request after the end of ongoing construction work in order to make the entire city center a pedestrian zone. This could possibly increase the pressure on the city administration, which currently persistently adheres to its concept.

international context and participation

An interesting parallel can be found in Paris, where citizens voted to convert hundreds of streets into pedestrian zones. This vote shows that the topic is very popular not only in Germany, but also in other European cities. There is also a long struggle for traffic routing and the associated quality of urban life, especially with regard to a green turnaround. The experiences from Paris, where only 4 % of voters took part in a vote on transport policy, raise questions about the participation and interest of the local population in such decision -making processes.

The citizens' initiative in Freising could not only focus on local conditions, but also keep the international discussion about citizen request and its results in mind. Precisely because there are already various approaches in large cities like Paris, Freising could benefit from these experiences and maybe also hope for a greater participation of the population.

The next chapter in the discussion about the pedestrian zone in Freising has started - but how will it end? One thing is certain: the voices of the Freisinger will not remain unadorned, and the initiative for "Freising for everyone" could be the impetus for a new era of co -determination in Freising.