Place - that's a valuable commodity right now for many reasons. One of those reasons, of course, is the Corona pandemic, because keeping your distance is the order of the day. And that's not always easy in the sometimes very narrow, crowded streets of downtown. But more space also makes for a better quality of life, quite independently of Corona. And that is precisely what is now to be achieved on Braubachstrasse, where a small step was recently taken towards a car-free city centre - with major implications for the street. "With simple means, the traffic department and the responsible departments, the road traffic office and the office for road construction and development, have rearranged the parking areas in Braubachstraße between Römerberg and Domstraße," Mayor Peter Feldmann was pleased to say.
This rearrangement has resulted in parking spaces turning into summer gardens. Where cars were parked until a few days ago, bicycles can now be safely parked, and benches also invite people to linger at two locations. Only a few parking spaces on the south side to serve the old town for delivery traffic, parking spaces for taxis and a parking space for the disabled have been included in the reorganisation.
"Less car traffic means more quality of life in the city centre, and nowhere is this more evident than on the Braubachstrasse cultural mile. In recent years, many restaurants and Cafés have settled there alongside galleries and museums and smaller shops. With the summer gardens, the street has acquired a whole new charm - and that will also carry far beyond the current Corona time," said Feldmann at the Old Town tour in early August.
"A total of 20 car parking spaces were converted. This has resulted in 56 parking spaces for bicycles and 170 square metres of additional space for outdoor catering, and four benches have also been installed at two locations. The north side in the described section is completely free of cars," explained Klaus Oesterling, head of the transport department, with satisfaction.
Councillor Stefan Majer also welcomed the new offer: "This is a great sign that we as the city of Frankfurt are not losing sight of climate change even in Corona times and are acting in the spirit of the traffic turnaround. With the additional bicycle parking spaces, we are making it attractive for everyone to come to the city by bicycle, and this also beyond the Corona period. As an avid cyclist, I very much welcome these measures."
The goal of this realignment was to enhance the area and strengthen the businesses located there. All of the businesses were happy to accept the Department of Transportation's offer to expand the space. The additional outdoor gastronomy areas (exclusively on former parking spaces) have been approved by special use permit. The areas were specially redesigned for this purpose. In perspective, the parking bays that are no longer needed are to be dismantled and replaced by a level and wide walkway, Oesterling announced. A total of seven catering establishments between Neue Kräme and Domstraße will benefit from the redesign - and their guests, of course.
