Bike path in Kantstraße
© dpa
The dispute over a cycle path in Kantstraße in Berlin-Charlottenburg and fire protection for residents is over.
According to the Senate Traffic Administration, the cycle path and parking lane will be swapped. This ensures that the fire department can get close enough to the buildings in the event of a fire and has enough space to deploy a turntable ladder and reach apartments on the upper floors.
In addition to swapping lanes, there are also plans to examine whether delivery zones can be integrated for stores or doctors' surgeries. Implementation is planned for this year, according to reports. However, an alternative option of widening the carriageway with a narrower central reservation was rejected as disproportionately complex and expensive.
Until now, the cycle path created during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic has been located between the sidewalk and a parking lane. A lane for moving traffic then runs alongside the strip for parked vehicles. However, the cycle path is too narrow for fire department vehicles. And a turntable ladder cannot reach the upper floors of certain residential buildings from the lane for moving traffic. Reorganizing the lanes in Kantstraße will solve the problem.
"We have come to a good result here, which takes into account the requirements of the fire department and the technical assessment of my administration's building inspectorate," explained Charlottenburg district councillor Christoph Brzezinski (CDU). "The short-term implementation of this solution will ensure the safety of all residents along Kantstrasse and thus also the usability of all apartments there again." Transport Senator Ute Bonde (CDU) thanked all those involved for their "immense willingness" to find a joint solution quickly and constructively.