Nippes: Pedestrians in danger! Sidewalks too narrow for safe routes

Nippes: Pedestrians in danger! Sidewalks too narrow for safe routes

The street is a place of life for many, but that doesn't always apply to pedestrians in Nippes. Recently, concerns about the sidewalks there have been increasing. A current proposal from the Green Party and the Gut & Klimafreunde in the Nippes district council about the width of the sidewalks is causing waves. At a meeting it was unanimously decided to take stock of the sidewalk widths and examine where parking cars on sidewalks could be prohibited in the future. A clear plan that aims to address the needs of pedestrians. But not everyone is convinced of this.

As the Kölnische Stadt-Anzeiger reports, the sidewalks in the center of Nippes are often narrower than the required minimum width of two meters, ideally even 2.50 meters. This situation causes difficulties, especially for wheelchair users and parents with strollers. Deniz Ertin from the Greens refers to the basics of foot traffic checks and suggests enlarging sidewalks where they turn out to be too narrow. But the approval is not unanimous, with Christoph Schmitz (CDU) expressing concerns about the loss of parking spaces, while Henning Meier (SPD) discusses the high density in Nippes.

Parking or foot traffic?

The heated debate shows how contradictory the interests are. On the one hand, the need for safe walks for children and older people, and on the other hand, the discussion about the parking situation. Inga Feuser from Gut & Klimafreunde puts it in a nutshell: This is an unfair distribution in favor of car traffic. From their point of view, an upgrade of the sidewalks is urgently needed to meet the needs of pedestrians.

According to geh-recht.de, sidewalks must be freely accessible to pedestrians. The road traffic regulations (§ 25 (1) StVO) also stipulate that parking cars on sidewalks is prohibited. The legally required minimum widths of two to 2.50 meters are not only recommendations, but also serve to ensure the safety and comfort of pedestrians. It should not be forgotten that aids such as wheelchairs and strollers also require space, which shows how important appropriate dimensions are.

The path to the solution

The topic is not new and has become increasingly urgent in recent years. STVO2GO shows in its regulations that different usage expectations must be taken into account when designing sidewalks. This assessment will be a decisive factor in the planned measures by the city of Nippes. The idea of ​​putting people at the center of transport planning is also supported by district mayor Diana Siebert (Greens). In her opinion, Nippes should be a place for people and not for cars.

With proposals for new neighborhood parking garages, for example at Nippeser Tälchen, the Boltensternstrasse allotment gardens or the Kaufhof parking lot, the decision-makers show alternatives. But there should not and cannot be a blanket solution like the one mentioned by Daniel Hanna (CDU). The fact is, a balanced plan is needed to meet the needs of all road users - because there should be space for everyone on our sidewalks.