Stadtpark Hamburg: Cars Adé for a weekend full of leisure time!

In the city park in Hamburg, there could be a significant change in the coming summer months. Otto-Wels-Straße, which cuts the city park in two parts, is to be blocked for car traffic on a weekend in order to use the space for leisure activities. This plan was decided by the new government factions in the Hamburg-Nord district, consisting of SPD, CDU and FDP.

The initiative is based on an idea of ​​the Greens, which had sought permanent use of Otto-Wels-Straße throughout the summer. However, this application did not find a majority in the regional committee. Carsten Gerloff from the SPD underlined that it is not the goal of completely banishing car traffic from the city park. Instead, the pilot test "Free weekend" should serve to check the effects of the temporary use of the road as a leisure area. Philipp Kroll from the CDU explained that the plan provides for careful coordination with local clubs, catering operations, the HVV, the emergency services as well as the senior and inclusion advisory board.

test phase and planned activities

The exact planning stipulates that Otto-Wels-Straße will be closed to car traffic on a weekend in summer, possibly during the school holidays. Different activities, such as street parties, could take place during this time. Thorsten Schmidt von der Grünen also made an application to use the street for leisure activities, but was disappointed with the decision that does not create reliable conditions for permanent implementation.

In any case, bus line 179 must be diverted on the days of closure. The first planning round is carried out with the various institutions and relevant actors to clarify the framework conditions for the pilot project.