KASTANIEN-KIEZBLOCK - creating a safe and liveable low traffic neighborhood

Kastanien-Kiezblock - creating a safe and liveable low traffic neighborhood

More than 20,000 Berliners live on both sides of the lively Kastanienallee, edged by the main roads Torstraße, Brunnenstraße, Bernauer Straße and Schönhauser Allee. The neighborhood has a lot to offer for everyone. Because of numerous schools, kindergartens and playgrounds, it is particularly attractive for young families. However, many parents are concerned about the safety of their children - because of the massive transit traffic in the neighborhood's residential streets. But also elderly are becoming increasingly unsettled by this traffic situation.

Last but not least: life and air quality in the neighborhood suffer significantly. Only for the benefit of getting through the neighborhood just a few minutes faster - by avoiding Torstrasse and the Rosenthaler Platz. And there is more and more transit traffic around the Arkonaplatz, just to save a minute or two.

We, the "Kastanien-Kiezblock" initiative want to prevent the transit traffic with some simple measures like modal filters and new one-way streets and direct the traffic back to the main roads. At the same time the existing cycleway on Choriner Strasse and Gormannstrasse and the planned cycleway on Schwedter Strasse should become more attractive for cyclists. Residents, the fire brigade, the garbage disposal and also the delivery traffic are still able to reach every point in the neighborhood - and in many cases even faster because they are no longer impeded by the massive transit traffic.

In order to simplify the political and administrative decision-making process about this neighborhood block, we made a conscious decision to only propose measures in the area of the Mitte district ("Bezirk Mitte") in order to achieve the desired effects on through traffic in both areas located in Mitte and Pankow.

In the medium term, there are further measures in the Kastanienkiez in order to make pedestrians feel safer, cycling becomes less dangerous, delivery traffic gets more space, trams can get through better, and provide more space for plants in the neighborhood. However, getting the low traffic neighborhood Kastanien-Kiezblock started is the essential prerequisite for further improvements.

You can find more information about the Kastanien-Kiezblock initiative at https://www.kiezblocks.de/kastanien/ 

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