Green politician Kapek: Clear sidewalks and bike paths first - Berlin's Green Party Demands Safer Winter Paths for Cyclists and Pedestrians

Berlin's icy winter has left sidewalks and bike paths dangerously slippery for weeks. Now, the Green Party is pushing for a major shift in how the city clears snow and ice. Their proposal would prioritise pedestrian and cycling routes over roads—but the city's waste management agency, BSR, has already dismissed the idea.

Antje Kapek, the Green Party's transport spokesperson, claims Berlin's current snow-clearing system is failing. She points to uncleared subway entrances, icy school routes, and overwhelmed hospitals treating slip-and-fall injuries. According to her, the problem lies in how responsibilities are spread too thin, leaving high-traffic areas neglected.

Kapek argues that reordering priorities—not extra funding or labour—could fix the issue. Cities like Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Paris have already made similar changes. Since 2021, Copenhagen clears bike lanes before roads, while Amsterdam's 2023 'soft mobility first' policy does the same. Paris adopted a comparable approach in 2022 to encourage walking and cycling over car use.

BSR, however, has rejected the proposal outright. The agency states that redirecting efforts would require managing an extra 12,000 kilometres of pathways—something it lacks the resources to handle. For now, the current system remains in place.

The debate highlights a growing divide over winter maintenance in Berlin. While the Green Party insists a simple reprioritisation could improve safety, BSR maintains that logistical and financial constraints make the plan unworkable. Without further action, icy conditions on footpaths and bike lanes are likely to persist.