Residents in Schwerin spark a dispute over the renovation of Neumühler Weg!

Residents in Schwerin spark a dispute over the renovation of Neumühler Weg!

Things are boiling in Schwerin's Lankow district - residents are dissatisfied with the renovation plans for Neumühler Weg. The dispute over the design of this important road has long since reached the level of what is reasonable. As the Baltic Sea newspaper According to reports, residents complain that they were ignored and not included in the decisions. In a sharp letter, four committed citizens, including Professor Gabriele Taube and Thomas Jackl from the Ministry of Education, gave an outlet for their outrage and accused the city administration of making decisions over their heads.

The criticized renovation plans are intended not only to modernize the street, but also to optimize traffic flow. But many residents are urgently calling for traffic calming measures as many drivers regularly ignore the set speed limit of 30 km/h. This problem has recently become more acute due to the increasing traffic of vocational students who use Neumühler Weg as a shortcut.

The reaction of the city administration

The construction project has already begun, new curbs are being placed, and work on the roadway is scheduled to start in March 2024. Despite the measures already underway, the city administration remains defensive of its actions. Building department head Bernd Nottebaum and mayor Rico Badenschier described the fire notice as inappropriate and emphasized that the renovation was in the interest of the entire community and in accordance with democratic principles.

Despite these statements, the discontent among residents remains unabated. They want an open dialogue with the city and are calling for a moderated discussion to rethink the planning. After all, a total of 24 residents support the cause of reducing traffic congestion in their residential area. A legitimate point when you consider the increasing discussion about traffic calming in German cities.

Traffic calming – opportunity or risk?

As the Difu Policy Paper shows, traffic calming is becoming more and more of an issue in many cities. There are not only supporters, but also growing voices against it. Critics often fear that the relief measures will overload the neighboring road network. However, empirical findings show that these concerns are mostly unfounded: almost all surveys confirm the phenomenon of “traffic evaporation”. This means that the volume of vehicle traffic decreases overall and "fizzles out" to a significant extent. Such measures have proven to be positive and should receive greater support in the political discussion.

In this context, it becomes clear that the demands of residents are not only local, but also part of a broader social debate about transport and quality of life. It remains to be seen whether the city administration will respond to the citizens' concerns or whether the dispute over Neumühler Weg will continue to escalate.