Court Reinstates 30 km/h Speed Limit on Berlin's Albrechtstraße

Berlin's administrative court has ordered the reinstatement of a 30 km/h speed limit on Albrechtstraße in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district. The environmental organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) had intervened with legal action to prevent the city's decision to abolish the limit.

The court found the Berlin Senate's decision to reintroduce a 50 km/h speed limit to be unlawful. Specifically, the court stated that the city had not sufficiently assessed the road's heavily frequented school routes and the necessary traffic safety measures. According to the court, a "clustering of schoolchildren" has not been demonstrated as a factor justifying the removal of the speed limit.

The Senate is now required to re-establish the 30 km/h limit within two weeks of the decision becoming legally binding. This applies to the section of Albrechtstraße between Robert-Lück-Straße and Neue Filandastraße. DUH had previously successfully advocated for a similar speed limit on Saarstraße.

DUH has called on Berlin residents to support actions against the dismantling of traffic transition measures. The organization has also indicated it is considering legal steps against other planned rollbacks of traffic reforms, such as the proposed removal of cycle lanes on Kantstraße and Unter den Eichen.

The original 30 km/h limits were implemented following a successful air quality lawsuit by DUH. However, the Berlin Senate had revoked a number of these limits as part of its revised air quality plan.