Brief description of the study area
Cars have no longer been allowed to drive along Friedrichstrasse between Leipziger Strasse and Französische Strasse since the end of August 2020. Instead, a wide cycle lane has been created. The space for pedestrians has been expanded and the quality of time spent on the street has been significantly improved with new seating and planting pots.
The aim of the project is to improve the quality of life on the street in the heart of the city by improving air quality and reducing noise pollution. A study by Environmental Action Germany (DUH) now shows that the provisionally established car-free Friedrichstrasse in Berlin actually has a positive effect on air quality.
Further information and a detailed description of the study area can be found in our report.
Results
The Berlin Senate Department for the Environment, Urban Mobility, Consumer Protection and Climate Action (SenUMVK) has been measuring the NO2 pollution at a point located at 172 Friedrichstrasse for many years, i.e. in a section that has now been redesignated as car-free. As recently as 2019, the last year in which cars were allowed to drive along Friedrichstrasse, the NO2 level there was 33 µg/m³. As a result of the provisionally established car-free Friedrichstrasse, nitrogen dioxide emissions have fallen by more than 10 µg/m³ within six months.