Overview
- The Verkehrsverwaltung has circulated a new Verwaltungsvorschrift to Berlin boroughs that limits through‑traffic blockers and says physical closure measures should be a last resort.
- Traffic Senator Ute Bonde’s guidance signals a shift toward milder measures such as raised cushions or one‑way streets and requires districts to assess effects on residents, businesses and emergency services.
- The rule gives the state a formal role when traffic changes have larger impacts and creates a path for the Senate to step in if districts do not follow the order.
- The proposal has drawn political pushback, with Green critics calling it heavy‑handed and the CDU defending stronger controls, while its formal adoption remains uncertain pending discussion in the council of borough mayors.
- Concrete poller installations such as on Tucholskystraße and Klever Straße remain in place and would be affected by any change to approval rules, which could slow or centralize how local communities install or remove Kiezblocks.