It seems that the incompatibility between the narrow historic streets of Hamburg, Germany, and cars (a common problem in dozens of large European cities), has driven the local authorities to consider banning them completely in the city and have everybody looking to commute do so on a bicycle.
An article published by The Independent says that there’s now a plan in place to do so by 2034 – it’s called “Green Network” and it also involves the creation of thoroughfares connecting various locations of interest scattered around an area that makes up 40 percent of the city’s entire surface area.
The drastic move is seen as the only way to improve residents’ lives, as Hamburg city spokeswoman Angelika Fritsch said: “We envision a network that doesn’t just help residents to get from point A to B in a sustainable fashion,” stating that “It will offer people opportunities to hike, swim, do water sports, enjoy picnics, restaurants, experience calms and watch nature right in the city.”
The proposal is seen as an excellent one by politicians too, and Jens Kerstan, the parliamentary leader of Hamburg’s Green Party, says such intrusive and widespread decision can’t be taken without it also being the will of the people. However, “our residents are quite progressive,” he said, “many Hamburgers are willing to give up their cars, which is very unusual in Germany.” We’ll have to wait and see about that last part…
Scroll down and check out the video below. It shows Hamburg and parts of the urban sprawl that surrounds it in motion and you do get a sense of what all of the above is about.
By Andrei Nedelea
Story References: Autoblog.com , Photo via via Wikipedia
VIDEO