© dpa
Parts of Berlin's Friedrichstrasse will be a pedestrian zone from Monday morning.
According to the traffic administration, the "order for redesignation" officially required for this was published in the official gazette on Friday and thus applies from Monday. The 500-meter section between Leipziger Straße and Französische Straße will thus be permanently closed to car traffic. Cyclists should use the parallel Charlottenstraße, which has been a bicycle lane since November of last year.
According to the Senate Department for Urban Mobility, there will be an initial one-week reconstruction phase. Among other things, seating is to be installed. Information points at the entrances to the pedestrian zone will explain the rules that apply there. For example, a parking ban will also apply to the section from Monday onwards. In addition, greenery is planned for the spring. In a further step, the long-term transformation of the car-free section of Friedrichstraße will be tackled, whichSenator Bettina Jarasch (Green Party) estimates will take several years.