Berliners lost roughly 60 hours to traffic congestion last year, and engineer Oliver Collmann wants to change that. After developing software for self‑driving cars, Collmann became a co‑spokesperson for a citizen campaign seeking a referendum to drastically reduce motor traffic in the German capital’s center.
Campaigners say Berlin is unusually car‑centric, with cars occupying an estimated 75–80% of usable urban space. Their plan would reclassify every street inside the city’s 37‑kilometer S‑bahn ring as “car‑reduced.” Motorized vehicles would be allowed only in specific cases — people with limited mobility, emergency services and large commercial deliveries — while private drivers could enter the zone no more than 12 times per year.
Collmann emphasizes the proposal targets overuse and oversized vehicles, not cars themselves. Supporters argue the change would cut congestion, lower noise and air pollution, free space for trees and shade, reduce urban heat, and improve public health.
Not everyone supports strict limits. Urban planner Oliver Lah urges a pragmatic approach: policies work best when they provide attractive alternatives and balance residents’ and businesses’ needs, rather than simply imposing bans.
European cities offer a range of models for reducing car dependence:
– Oslo: Since 2017 the city has prioritized pedestrians and reduced private‑car access with measures including an automated ring toll (cheaper for electric cars). A 2020 evaluation found traffic in the affected area fell about 28%. Temporary street closures in 2022 turned parts of central Oslo into “livable streets” with benches and plantings, boosting pedestrian activity (a 38% Saturday increase). Between 2014 and 2023 the share of trips made on foot or by bike rose from 36% to 46%. Nearly all new cars registered in Oslo this year — 98.1% — are zero‑emission.
– Paris: Pursuing the “15‑minute city” idea, Paris has reduced car use through redesigns rather than outright bans. At the end of 2024 it created limited‑traffic zones that allow trips beginning or ending inside the area but forbid through‑traffic. That measure reduced traffic by roughly 6% inside the zone and about 8% in surrounding central districts in the first two months, with penalties phased in to let people adapt. Research shows more walkable, local cities tend to have lower per‑capita transport emissions.
– Other examples: Vienna, Copenhagen and Barcelona have repurposed parking and road space for greenery, pedestrians and cyclists, showing modest but measurable gains in liveability and active travel.
In Berlin the campaign has until May 8 to collect signatures from at least 7% of eligible voters to qualify the initiative for the ballot. If proponents succeed, residents could vote later this year on reshaping the heart of the city and testing how far reducing cars can change urban life.