Deutsche Umwelthilfe files new lawsuit over Berlin's Tempo 30 removal

The German Environmental Aid (DUH) has initiated a new legal challenge against the Berlin Senate's decision to abolish a 30 km/h speed limit on Saarstraße in the Friedenau district. This action follows a prior interim ruling where the administrative court sided with DUH, temporarily halting the removal.

The Berlin Senate Department for Mobility has stated its intention to maintain the original 50 km/h speed limit on the affected stretch of road. Consequently, DUH has proceeded to file a main lawsuit to address the matter. DUH's managing director, Jürgen Resch, emphasized that the court's earlier decision clearly indicated a danger situation warranting the 30 km/h limit.

Resch criticized the Senate for prioritizing car traffic over safety and urged Berlin residents to support the campaign against what he described as the reversal of the city's traffic transition. "We will not back down on Saarstraße, nor in our other legal cases for 30 km/h limits in Berlin," Resch stated. "We will consistently fight for the safety of schoolchildren, cyclists, and pedestrians."

These 30 km/h speed limits were originally implemented in Berlin as a result of DUH's successful lawsuit concerning air quality regulations. However, the Berlin Senate has since revoked numerous such limits as part of an updated air quality plan. DUH is considering further legal steps against these revocations, including a planned reversal of a bicycle path construction in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district.