SPD and Greens want to delete parking spaces in Hamburg

In order to avoid traffic delays, traffic jams and accidents caused by delivery vehicles parked in the second row, the SPD and Greens want to create more delivery and loading zones in Hamburg. This is provided for by a motion by the government factions, which is to be brought to the citizenship on Wednesday next week.

What initially sounds like a plan for the benefit of all road users, however, caused criticism shortly after the plans became known on Monday. Existing parking spaces are to be rededicated for the new delivery and loading zones. Exceptions for private parking should no longer be granted in the new delivery and loading zones, or only at night.

Delivery and commercial traffic make up around 35 percent of traffic on Hamburg's streets "and is essential for the city to function," said SPD traffic expert Ole Thorben Buschhäuter on Monday. "The drivers of increasingly emission-free delivery vehicles are particularly dependent on finding space for their large vehicle at the delivery location."

If this does not succeed, the vehicles would often be parked in the second row, said his Green colleague Eva Botzenhart. "There are always dangerous situations for people who are on foot or by bike, as well as traffic jams."

When designating the new and uniformly marked delivery areas, the focus is “on zones in front of shops, craft and commercial companies and on places that are important for parcel delivery services.” Since the local companies in particular know best where such zones make sense, should be involved in the process. This also means that traders will be able to apply for loading and delivery zones more easily in the future than is the case today.

There should be more delivery zones in lively and popular mixed quarters, i.e. where small shops meet residential buildings, medical practices and companies. Over the past three years, the city has gradually introduced resident parking zones in these areas or continues to designate them. The CDU, among others, has been criticizing this for a long time. She now sees herself confirmed by the application from Red-Green.

Group leader Dennis Thering sees the plans as a direct consequence of the expansion of the resident parking areas. "After years of mumbling around with more and more new residential parking areas, the SPD and the Greens then noticed that commercial enterprises have big problems," said the CDU politician on Monday. In resident parking areas, only residents are entitled to unlimited parking permits. Local businesses can only receive special permits for vehicles that are essential to their operations. Parking fees apply for all other vehicles or for suppliers.

"Before the introduction of resident parking areas, these problems did not exist," Thering complained. Now the government parties "can't come up with anything better than once again canceling parking spaces without replacing them." A much better idea is to create parking spaces below the streets. The CDU has been propagating so-called neighborhood garages for years. Thering regularly emphasizes that they reject the red-green coalition for ideological reasons, not for practical reasons. Like other members of the opposition, the 38-year-old accuses the Senate of a policy that deliberately wants to make driving in the city unattractive.

The government factions also criticized the Chamber of Crafts. In their application, they admitted that craftsmen would also benefit from the new designation of the delivery and loading zones - and thus suggested that companies would be accommodated once again. These zones will be specially marked areas. However, in the logic of the Highway Code, they will be simple restricted parking areas. And craft businesses can stand on these with a special permit for as long as their orders last.

Chamber of Commerce President Hjalmar Stemmann nevertheless accuses the government factions of once again not having consistently considered the special needs of the craft sector. "Loading and delivery zones are designed to meet the needs of courier, express and parcel services," he said. However, a craftsman must be able to plan ahead and find a parking space nearby.

Because unlike a parcel supplier who only delivers something for a short time, craftsmen often have to go back to the car several times, sometimes even work in the car, to complete the customer order. Therefore, the craft need service parking spaces in all resident parking zones. The Chamber understands this to mean places that can be booked in advance.

The motion by the SPD and the Greens would no longer result in parking spaces, parking spaces or parking zones that are secured, reserved or reserved for crafts. On the contrary: craft businesses now shared even more space with delivery service providers. That is why there is criticism of the initiative.

The police union (GdP) is also not impressed by the ideas of the government factions. This is mainly due to the fact that the newly created areas are to be monitored much more closely than previous no-parking zones. The GdP fears more operations due to the towing of cars parked illegally in the delivery zones. “My colleagues already have more tasks than capacities. The patrol cars cannot process an increase in operations in the parking area," said Hamburg's GdP Vice Lars Osburg. In addition, the introduction of loading zones will further minimize the already scarce parking space. Osburg called the parliamentary groups’ motion a “placebo.”