Overview
- The 'Berlin autofrei' proposal would, after a four-year transition, turn most streets inside the S-Bahn ring into car-reduced zones and limit private car use to 12 days per person each year.
- Exemptions are planned for people with disabilities, emergency services, waste collection, taxis and commercial or delivery traffic, and the limits would also apply to electric vehicles.
- A separate 'werbefrei' initiative seeks to ban digital commercial advertising in public space while allowing ads on shopfronts, traditional pillars and BVG shelters.
- Berlin’s constitutional court ruled the 'autofrei' draft legally compatible in June 2025, and any resulting law would need a majority in a referendum plus support from at least one quarter of eligible voters.
- Supporters call for expanded public transport, the Senate doubts that upgrades can be delivered within the timeline, and business groups warn of economic harm to the city center.