Berlin Mobility Act

Berlin plans to become safer, more mobile and more climate-friendly. In a growing metropolis like Berlin, this can only succeed if the strengths of all forms of mobility – i.e. bus, rail, bicycle, car, pedestrian traffic – are taken into consideration. Ecomobility, i.e. pedestrian traffic, bicycles and public transport, has a particular role to play here because all these forms of mobility are very efficient in their use of space. The Berlin Mobility Act will create a basis in law which takes account of all interests. This is without precedent in Germany.

Urban mobility of the future is networked mobility. Of central importance to Berlin’s concept of urban mobility is the goal of ensuring that all people in the city can get to their destination comfortably and reliably and in a way that has as little impact on the environment and the city as possible – and that this should be possible irrespective of the availability of one’s own form of transport or of physical limitations. The Berlin Mobility Act plans to improve the efficiency of the transport system as a whole. It also supports the goal of the Berlin Senate to make car traffic in Berlin climate-neutral by 2045. Moreover, the intention is to reduce the number of road traffic fatalities and seriously injured persons to a minimum (vision zero). Two of the most important measures here are to re-design dangerous junctions and to create safe bicycle lanes along all main roads.

The Berlin Mobility Act will consist of several different elements and takes account of all modes of transport. The individual elements will take shape over time. Overall, they will ensure mobility that is future-oriented. The first three elements describe general aims that apply to all modes of transport as well as regulations for public transport and bicycle traffic

In 2020, there will follow elements dealing with pedestrian traffic and New Mobility (carsharing, digitisation and other issues of relevance to the future). It is also planned to introduce more comprehensive regulations for commercial transport – building on the Senate’s integrated commercial transport concept.

In spring 2017, the basis for the Berlin Mobility Act was created in a procedure that was without precedent in Germany. The newly created mobility committee, to which mobility associations, the city’s boroughs, the relevant Senate administration departments and representatives of the parties in the city parliament belong, dealt with the general part of the Mobility Act. In its “cycling law dialogue”, the Senate Department for the Environment, Urban Mobility, Consumer Protection and Climate Action – in conjunction with Volksentscheid Fahrrad (a civic organisation campaigning for a cycling referendum), the German Cyclists’ Association [Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club – ADFC], Friends of the Earth Germany [Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland – BUND], the parliamentary parties in the coalition and the Senate Chancellery – developed the key features of the “bicycle traffic” element and the first draft of the bill. Following this collaboration and consultation, the bill was approved by parliament and came into force in July 2018.

In March 2018, work started in the mobility committee on jointly developing the section dealing with pedestrian traffic. Since this time, mobility associations chosen by the mobility committee have been working intensively with the parliamentary parties in the coalition in a “pedestrian traffic dialogue” on the key content of the bill and on its first draft. The Berlin Senate passed the draft law at the beginning of 2020 and forwarded it to the House of Representatives (Berliner Abgeordnetenhaus) for discussion and approval.

Verkündet als Artikel 1 des Gesetzes zur Neuregelung gesetzlicher Vorschriften zur Mobilitätsgewährleistung vom 5. Juli 2018 (GVBl. S. 464)

• Berlin Mobility Act (in German)