New city committee in Berlin dedicated solely to pedestrians

Berliners prefer walking over any other means of mobility, so the city is ready to make this a priority

Today, local authorities in Berlin announced the establishment of FahrRat bei Radverkehr (The Foot Traffic Committee). It will focus on bettering the city’s traffic plan and expanding pedestrian mobility. It will also focus on improving traffic, school route safety and planning of streets, paths, squares, as well as the prioritisation of pedestrian networks.

The new committee was born from the fact that, according to city officials, Berliners already move more on foot than by any other means of transportation. The city wants to take that fact seriously and improve conditions for pedestrian traffic.

According to Ingmar Streese, State Secretary for Transport, the committee needs to represent the whole range of urban perspectives on foot traffic. Furthermore, it aims to help inform important policy decisions through the Mobility Act in the Federal State of Berlin.

Creating ties with the city

Another goal of the committee is to help coordinate and collaborate with organisations within Berlin’s administration, the private sector, as well as the non-governmental sector. For instance, it will combine district representatives of Mitte, Marzahn-Hellersdorf, Lichtenberg, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and Steglitz-Zehlendorf.

Furthermore, it will also consider various street-level interests through collaboration with the authorities on Environment, traffic and climate protection; Education, youth and family; Urban development and housing; the Berlin Police and state representatives for people with disabilities.

Other relevant actors in the advisory body of the Foot Traffic Committee include the Berlin Chamber of Architects, the German Institute of Urban Studies, the Technical University of Berlin and the city’s tourism board.

All and all, the Foot Traffic Committee should provide the German capital with an additional layer of sustainable mobility and a fresh take on human-scale cities.