An Uphill Climb

The push to reduce car traffic in central Berlin reaches a critical moment.

A temporary pedestrian and bike zone set up along Berlin’s Friedrichstraßse in 2020. Photo credit: Gerd Danigel, republished via Creative Commons license CC0 1.0.

I am convinced that the biggest myth that needs busting about life in Berlin is not that it’s still ‘poor but sexy,’ or that non-millionaires can still get a new rental contract in Prenzlauer Berg.

It’s that taking a taxi when the bus is late will get you there on time.

I was reminded of this Thursday as I strolled past a long line of cars stuck in traffic on a small street near my apartment. Although I saw the occasional taxi or work van, behind the wheel of most vehicles sat a single, very frustrated driver.

I was almost sitting among them. Road and tram-line construction have created traffic bottlenecks all over Lichtenberg and Friedrichshain, leaving tram riders depending on replacement buses to complete their journeys, and drivers taking detours off main roads through neighborhoods.

I was coming back from a parent meeting …