Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) has sharply attacked the coalition partner for the approach to the traffic turnaround. Without naming the Greens directly, Reiter vented his anger in a message. “We need sensible concepts that fit into the respective district and have been developed together with the people of Munich. Simply ideologically deleting parking spaces so that they are gone doesn’t help anyone,” explained Reiter unequivocally in the direction of the environmental party.
Specifically, the Lord Mayor criticized the closure of Kolumbusstrasse and Landlstrasse for leisure use and the construction of a new cycle path in Elisenstrasse. But Reiter is not only targeting the Greens, but also a large part of his own SPD faction. She voted in favor of these projects with the coalition partner in the city council. It has long been apparent that the mayor and some SPD city councilors want to take a much calmer approach to the traffic turnaround, but often fail internally.
The Greens reacted coolly and calmly to the criticism. The Kolumbusstraße is a “successful” pilot project by the Technical University of Munich with many partners, including MVG, MAN, Sixt, Deutsches Museum and the German Blind Association. “You can always talk about improvements,” said parliamentary group leader Mona Fuchs. It was foreseeable that criticism would come. “These are experiments. We shouldn’t charge the project too much politically.”
Reiter called for improvements for the residents. “Traffic-calmed streets can bring more quality of life. In the Südliche Au and at Walchenseeplatz, however, we see that this is not automatic,” said Reiter. “We have to improve here.” He knows that SPD parliamentary group leader Anne Hübner is by his side. After a visit to the district, she immediately submitted an application intended to defuse the situation. Among other things, the SPD is now demanding longer quiet times (previously from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.), the designation of a short-term delivery zone on each side of the street for residents, the creation of disabled parking spaces in Kolumbusstraße and the removal of thresholds for cyclists.
The mayor also expressed a lack of understanding for the construction of a new cycle path in Elisenstrasse for up to 14 million euros, although there is already one there. “Luxury cycle paths in places where it is already safe to cycle are not included for me.” His parliamentary group had also voted for it on Wednesday, internally the supporters are said to have prevailed against the opponents by a hair’s breadth. The Greens parliamentary group leader Fuchs also alluded to this. “The mayor and the SPD parliamentary group must clarify this conflict internally, so we don’t get involved.”