The German city of Hamburg wants to expropriate a number of front gardens in the city because cyclists on cargo bikes should be allowed to overtake each other. Residents are furious.
The bike paths in Hamburg are to be doubled in width. This means that the city will prohibit residents from having front gardens. These must be included so that cargo bikes can overtake each other.
This is written by Bild via the Hamburger Abendblatt.
And even though the Hamburg city government must pay compensation for the front gardens that are no longer allowed in the city, several residents are furious.
Specifically, the city will take 4.25 meters from each of the designated properties on each side of the roads. One and a half meters will be for bike paths. Half a meter will be for additional sidewalks, while the rest will go towards widening the road.
If the proposal comes to fruition, the Hamburg city government will have to pay compensation. However, residents will receive a maximum of 100 euros per square meter, which the city government will use for public land.
Not everyone, neither citizens nor politicians in Hamburg, is happy with the idea. Regional politician Sven Hielscher (CDU) calls the plan 'arbitrary'.
– There are almost no cargo bikes here, he says in a comment.
Conversely, the city authorities do not believe that this is a ban on or expropriation of people's front gardens. "It is a matter of pre-emption," the authorities said, according to Bild.
Overall, there are quite a few proposals that would place restrictions on traffic or the conditions surrounding it.
The NGO European Road Safety Council (ETSC), for example, has proposed that the EU ban drivers from driving faster than 30 km/h. Cyclists, however, are not allowed to overtake cars either. They, the NGO says, should be limited to 20 km/h.
– There is a myth that a speed limit of 30 km/h would lead to increased traffic congestion and increased costs. This is not supported by research, it says.
They refer, among other things, to experiences from Switzerland, where it is believed that lower speeds have resulted in fewer traffic jams and shorter travel times.
