Overview
- The Abgeordnetenhaus voted down the coalition’s draft law that aimed to sharply restrict private cars in the city center.
- Organizers say they will begin collecting signatures in January to launch a Volksbegehren.
- The drive must gather support from at least 7% of eligible voters—about 170,000 people—within four months to advance.
- If that threshold is met, a referendum would follow, and the measure would pass only with a majority and at least one quarter of all eligible voters voting yes.
- The proposal includes a four‑year transition, designates most streets inside the S‑Bahn ring as reduced‑car zones excluding federal roads, limits private trips to 12 per person annually, and lists exemptions for disabled people, emergency services, waste collection, taxis, and commercial and delivery traffic.