Overview

• The court found the Volksbegehren appropriate and proportionate to safeguard life, health and the climate under Germany’s Basic Law
• Organizers must now collect enough backing to trigger a public vote on limiting private car journeys to 12 trips per person each year, later reduced to six
• Numerous exemptions in the proposal have drawn criticism from Die Linke and others over the potential for excessive bureaucracy
• Surveys and reader feedback show about 60% of Berliners oppose the measure on economic and freedom grounds, while roughly 20% support it for cleaner air and less noise
• Politicians and mobility experts across party lines call for a compromise that prioritizes public transit expansion over strict car bans