Planned in Frankfurt: Citizens' vote for more greenery and fewer cars

In Frankfurt is planned a citizens' decision aimed at increasing green spaces and reducing car traffic. The initiative, titled “Cityentscheid, autoarm und lebenswert,” seeks to transform the city center into a more livable space with less reliance on automobiles. The proposal comes from the initiative Radentscheid Frankfurt, which previously collected 40,000 signatures eight years ago to promote cycling infrastructure. Beatrix Baltabol, one of the spokespersons, stated that the group hopes to gain support from other initiatives and private individuals. The campaign aims to address the impacts of climate change by advocating for more trees and green areas instead of asphalt, open surfaces, shaded plazas with fountains, and measures such as cooling through urban greenery, installation of misting systems, and efficient rainwater management. Free public toilets and improved public space quality are additional goals. A meeting to activate participation is scheduled for August 15th at 5 p.m. in Haus Dornbusch. Two citizen petitions had indirect success in the past. After the Radentscheid, there was also a Climate Decision petition that gathered around 23,000 signatures by early 2023. Although both petitions met the threshold of approximately 15,000 signatures required for a citizen petition, neither led to a full citizen vote. The city administration declared the Radentscheid petition invalid due to vague formulations and inadequate cost coverage proposals. Nevertheless, both efforts had some impact. Many demands from the Radentscheid were incorporated into the 2019 city council resolution on making Frankfurt a bike-friendly city, which included expanding cycle paths and designating bicycle streets. In 2024, the coalition of Greens, SPD, FDP, and Volt agreed with the Climate Decision initiative on an 18-point package for a “Climate City Frankfurt.” Baltabol explained that the goal of the new Cityentscheid is to meet the formal requirements for a citizen petition. This would require more specific formulations of demands. She noted that simply saying “less traffic” is insufficient. However, the process is still in its early stages. It is not about creating an automobile-free downtown area. “We are not anti-car advocates,” she emphasized. Instead, the focus is on increasing green spaces and reducing noise pollution in the city center by decreasing surface-level parking along roads. The timing of the call for action, published during the second heatwave of the summer, was coincidental according to Baltabol. “It had a longer lead time, and with the discussion we were just far enough along to say: It can go out now.”