EDIT: changed article link and title to comply with rules (that I didn’t read 😛). The article that is linked now, links to the previous one (this one https://www.rbb24.de/politik/beitrag/2025/06/senatsverwaltung-verkehr-berlin-tempo-30.htm), and the title is the google translated of the new article, as close as original German as I can
The absurdity of the proposal is already in the title, and shows how motonormativity is spread all over the world.
Berlin has a very good public transit system, and a few 30 km/h zones cannot be that bad.
I would love to hear opinions from someone who lives there!
crossposted from: https://mastodon.uno/users/rivoluzioneurbanamobilita/statuses/114732266280428499
They’ve got a new moronic conservative government which also stopped every new bike lane. Even if they were federally subsidized and it means the city now has to pay back those.
Stupid Ideologically driven morons
This is like when a person goes on a diet, loses weight, then stops the diet.
More like stopping an antibiotic course mid-way.
Or stopping your blood pressure medicine because you don’t have high blood pressure anymore.
Okay, so you’re overweight.
To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you burn. You do this for awhile. Your weight decreases.
Your weight has decreased to your target weight.
If you continue to consume fewer calories than you burn, you will continue to lose weight, becoming underweight.
To maintain your target weight, you must consume as many calories that you burn.
Your weight loss diet will be more restrictive than a weight maintenance diet.
You’re supposed to stop the diet when you reached your target weight. So not like that at all.
This really hurts my brain. How can politicians be this shortsighted?
I’m living here and you are absolutely correct. Public transit is good. Most streets are 50 km/h. Some are 30 but that is oftentimes not enforced.
Several studies have shown that a speed limit of 30 km/h can massively reduce the number and severity of accidents. But as Germans we hate the idea of slowing down for other road users. We bought those shiny non electric cars and we want to blast through the city, god damnit!
How can politicians be this shortsighted?
not shortsighted, they’re trying to make the city worse. They’re conservatives and middle parties voted in by people not from the center of the city.
Oh they just got friends and potential future employers in the automotive industry.
I politics hanlons razor is reversed. Never attribute to stupidity that which could be explained by corruption.
I’m curious, do they fire all sysadmins on days where everything goes smoothly and rehire new ones the day after?
They do. The classic joke is that bosses will complain about paying IT/devops/SRE regardless of whether or not shit is broken.
Don’t give them ideas.
I have to assume these guys only take a shower once a month, at most, and only because people keep complaining about how much they stink. And they definitely only wash their hands if they got shit on them.
I’m having déjà vu.
As stupid as this sounds, eventually someone is going to suggest letting grocery stores be open on Sunday and this will usher in what German historians call “Der Modern Age”. There will be a domino effect… Rathaus will get Internet, Doctors will forgo fax for email and Aldi will finally bring Trader Joe’s to the motherland. We will slowly creep into the 21st century. One pointless rule at a time.
This stupid speed limit thing will be remembered as the catalyst of progress in the race to catch up to their neighbors.
( /s Because Germany hates change )
Queue up the: “I’m entitled to a peaceful Sunday” folks.
That is not the original headline or the in-article analysis, so unfortunately I don’t think that’s a good fit for this sub/magazine.
That’s true. I got to the op article through this one: https://www.der-postillon.com/2025/06/sonntagsfrage-tempo-30-berlin.html
Would this be a good fit? (I don’t speak German)
That would not be a good fit as the Postilion is the German pendant to the Onion.
I think so, if the headline is preserved while machine-translated.
Done.
Reminder for myself: read rules of community before posting, next time 🙂
I agree. It’s just go with the English one.
This post’s article is not English either.
Hey and in Freiburg they just cancelled the LEZ because the air quality improved…
I live here and recently had to borrow a car for a vacation. Of course I had to drive it through the city as well and it always surprised me how car-friendly it is. You are on a highway or road (or stroad) pretty quickly most of the time, so there’s not much need to actually drive through most streets. Also -at least in my area- parking was sooo easy to find! I don’t understand why peaople park so horrible here; I was able to find a free & legal spot within a 10 minute walk every time…
The only thing that really is in your way are other cars during rush-hour. Which makes the increased speed limit even more ridiculus; outside of rushour you’re not losing much time because of it and within you’re not gaining anything because it’s just stop and go anyways.
I have to say that my experience cycling has improved since I moved here though. Maybe it’s because I moved closer to the center at some point, maybe it’s because I got used to it or it’s because of the protected biking infrastructure the previous government & the districts were able to build. I just hope we get a rrg coaliton again next time around so things are going to continue improving.
Public transit is awsome if you don’t live too far out. For some areas I can understand why people might find it frustrating to rely on it.
