Place there? For mobile city dwellers, the happiness of this earth depends on a small free spot where the vehicle is parked. Both car and bike have to stay somewhere, after all.
Who has a parking spot at work? Just last week, employees at St. Catherine's Hospital actually threatened to quit because commuters were taking away parking spaces from them.
So, space-wise, there's still steam in the kettle in Frankfurt.
The future of mobility, which I had envisioned so beautifully over Carnival in the last post, it continues to be a long time coming in local transport policy.
While the International Motor Show, or IAA for short, is gone. Still there remains the daily mass of cars, bicycles and pedestrians plus e-bikes recently and baby carriages, which push themselves through our city.
According to ADAC, the traffic in the city, by the way, backs up the most on Wednesdays.
Honestly? I thought the traffic jam was always stupidly where I was about to go. But you know that, don't you?
In fact, we're all in the same boat together now, to use an obvious comparison.
From world city level to small-scale
Many may be glad to see the IAA go and want to look forward to Frankfurt becoming a model of transport turnaround. But alas, things are not turning around that quickly.
And with the IAA, Frankfurt was on par with world cities like Shanghai, Detroit and Paris. So one can regret the loss of the exhibition.
Even more so as the big hit is a long time coming. Currently Frankfurt acts in my eyes rather small-small in terms of transport policy. If you google "Frankfurt traffic policy", you will find almost only negative articles about the current situation.
Congestion: Top Ten
Driving a car on the Main is no pleasure, the city is too small for that, the congestion too frequent. In fact, Frankfurt is one of the ten German cities with the highest levels of congestion.
In the morning, commuters park our streets full, wire bikes are tied tightly to lampposts for lack of parking space. Commuters againrum get in sweating, and hope for free space near a subway station.
So far the current state.
As is known, good things take time. And so the traffic turnaround in Frankfurt comes creeping along.
But I'm glad when something happens at all.
Now for some time on the Seckbacher Landstraße residents parking is designated. But only in the direction of the city. Blue flyers inform parkers for a transitional period about the new situation, until eventually the fine is distributed.
End with cheeky parking?
But also through regulatory policy, traffic can improve, if certain naughty finally stop times. Like something the brash parking in second row, which costs in the future pretty 55 euros.
Parking in second row hinders yes not only the car traffic. If I pedal up the hill with us, then I thank you already if a car blocks the bike path.
Now, however, is in my eyes by far not all gold, which is on two wheels on the road. (Those who brazenly disregard rules as drivers don't become saints on the saddle. I certainly don't exclude myself from that J) Space is now also eaten up by the SUVs among the bikes, the cargo bikes. They want to be parked, too. Is Frankfurt finally more bike-friendly?
At a snail's pace into the future
As I said, Frankfurt is rather lame when it comes to the future of mobility.
Carpooling and ridesharing is already being tested in other cities, but not on the Main. Modern ideas fail because of the road traffic regulations. Leipzig or Berlin are already further ahead.
What about charging stations? Frankfurt does not even reach the top ten.
In September, the city parliament is to vote on higher parking fees for the city center. That could be hefty, so cars will be fewer.
There's always a big hullabaloo about public transport. But, oh how I ache. I'm sure almost every one of you has his or her own personal perennial pet peeve. I get upset about the pricing.
After all, a day pass is now a tad cheaper than two single tickets. And so it's worth it for me to ditch the car once in a while.
Continue to follow...hopefully soon!
Has the parking situation changed in your neighborhood? How? And does public transport in the Rhine-Main area finally have to become cheaper?
A post by Sabina Brauner