“Parking while walking is not a trivial offense and must be punished by the police,” says Thorsten Kellermann from the Federal Nature Conservation Association (BN) in Munich. Because they are of the opinion that one happens far too often and the other far too rarely, almost a hundred people, including many wheelchair users, marched in front of the Munich police headquarters on Ettstrasse on Wednesday evening. In addition to the BN, the ÖDP, the ADFC Munich, the Fuss eV association and the VCD Munich traffic club called for the rally for free walking and cycle paths.
In 2023, the police reported more than 624,000 traffic offenses or punished them with warnings. According to police information, more than 49,000 of these fines were for parking violations on sidewalks and cycle paths, with lowered curbs and in intersection areas. In addition, 13,490 vehicles were towed by the Munich police last year.
The organizers say that the sidewalks and cycle paths in many Munich residential areas are blocked up far too often. As a result, illegal parkers “knowingly accept” that children, pedestrians, cyclists and people with mobility restrictions are at massive risk. “Despite the clear legal situation, such violations are hardly punished in Munich,” is the accusation.
Around a hundred people, including many wheelchair users, called for tougher action against sidewalk parkers at the demonstration in front of the police headquarters on Ettstrasse.
(Photo: Alessandra Schellnegger)
The demonstrators believe that pedestrians and cyclists, as the weakest road users, need more protection.
(Photo: Alessandra Schellnegger)
According to traffic police statistics, there were 3,479 accidents involving cyclists last year. 3,420 people were injured. The twelve traffic fatalities in the city and district of Munich included four cyclists, four pedestrians and four motorized road users. If you include the seriously injured, almost half of the victims were cycling.
The police wrote in their traffic statistics that “targeted traffic monitoring was carried out in 2023 with a view to cycling safety.” On the one hand, the incorrect behavior of other road users towards cyclists was monitored, but on the other hand, the misconduct of cyclists themselves. However, the organizers believe that tips and complaints from the public are often not taken seriously and parking on sidewalks and cycle paths is often ignored towards the demo.
The police disagree. “There is no regular tolerance of violations,” says a spokesman. But the police have to set priorities. Priority would be given to “violations that either pose a particular potential for danger or significantly disrupt traffic flow.” Against this background, there are definitely focal points of police action against illegal parking, most recently in Giesing. However, proportionality and the principle of equality must be observed and decisions must always be based on the individual case. “Complete traffic monitoring is neither possible nor desirable,” said the Munich police.
The road traffic regulations generally prohibit stopping or even parking on sidewalks, even with just two wheels – unless it is expressly permitted by signs and markings. Stopping in bicycle safety lanes on the road is also not permitted. The fines range from 30 to 100 euros, and particularly serious violations also result in a point in the Flensburg traffic offenders’ register.
First success even before the rally
Unfortunately, police officers in Munich “often tend to find excuses for illegal parking,” says Sonja Haider, mobility policy spokeswoman for the ÖDP/Munich List faction. Then it is often said: Where else should the cars park? “We must immediately make sidewalks safe spaces for everyone again,” demands Anais Schuster Brandis from Fuss eV; Christoph von Gagern from VCD Munich says: “The fair division of the city’s street space must be based on who needs the most protection. Here in Munich, pedestrian and bicycle traffic are nowhere near well positioned; moving and stationary cars dominate.” Eva Mahling from the ADFC Munich points out that children up to the age of eight have to cycle on the sidewalk: “The police should feel committed to everyone’s right to unhindered, safe participation in road traffic.”
According to its organizers, the rally had an initial success before it even began: “The police headquarters is finally ready for dialogue,” wrote ÖDP press spokeswoman Judith Bauer on Tuesday. The police have agreed to “take part in our next round table on sidewalk parking.” Michael Hausmanninger from the Advisory Council for the Disabled reads out the demonstrators’ demands, which are then handed over to Andreas Franken, head of public relations at the police headquarters. He promises: “You will be heard.”