Speech by Bündnis Zukunftsklima

You can recognize the value of a society by how it treats the weakest of its members,” said a former Federal President (Gustav Heinemann). What does this mean for traffic? I am speaking here today on behalf of a group of road users who cannot speak up sufficiently for themselves: children. In 2024, more than 27,000 children in Germany were involved in traffic accidents and thus experienced violence in road traffic. Every week, one child dies in a traffic accident. On this, the Federal Ministry for Transport states: The protection of children is a very special concern of the Federal Ministry for Transport (BMV). We therefore support various programs and measures to increase road safety for children, guide children towards safe and responsible participation in traffic, and educate them to become conscientious road users of tomorrow. What follows is a busy picture used to practice traffic rules. The German Medical Journal shifts the responsibility to “negligent parents” who “cannot correctly assess dangers and children’s capabilities.” As a father of two children, I know very well what my children are capable of. The street is a deadly zone that massively restricts their freedom and basic needs. A child experiences the world differently, wants to move differently, and follow impulses in order to get to know the world. How much joy my children had in the snow! My six-year-old son climbs every snowbank. Just a few days ago, right in front of our apartment, of course also onto the frozen piles of snow along the sidewalk by the street. He was only a few meters ahead of us when a car sped past far too fast through the residential area, right next to the snowbank. My son kept trudging along carefree on the peak of the snowbank, and I knew: if he slips now, there is nothing I or the driver could do. Thankfully, nothing happened—but I could still feel the shock for hours afterward. All parents know moments like this. Ultimately, these are experiences of violence in traffic. I know many parents in Würzburg who would like to take their children to kindergarten by bicycle, but find it too dangerous. Why are there no sufficiently safe cycle paths from the city to Hubland? Why do so many cycle paths still end abruptly, or why do people who have to turn by bike first have to fight their way into car traffic? Especially in recent weeks, the prioritization has once again become clear: while car roads were cleared of snow for a long time, the snow from the car roads piled up on sidewalks and cycle paths for weeks afterward. Freedom does not mean living out one’s own privileges at the expense of everyone else. Freedom is always the freedom of all. Anyone who knows children knows how much car traffic restricts their freedom. Even if a three-year-old child—completely in line with the Federal Ministry for Transport’s intentions—is riding a balance bike on the sidewalk in a residential area, parents must constantly be alert, because SUVs reversing out of driveways are so high that they cannot see the child. In my view, not only children but ultimately everyone would benefit if cars were completely removed from residential areas. The world is changing. We are forced to deal with war in Europe, the instability of our democracy, the state of our planet, and the loss of international alliances. We cannot change the fact that the world is changing, but we can decide how we respond to it: retreating and looking only at our own advantage or that of a small group, or facing reality as mature, informed people and embracing change. When we do that, new shared spaces for action open up—if we listen to one another. Who here has heard of the Würzburg Future Council? It was the first citizens’ assembly in Würzburg last year, which I co-organized with a team from the Zukunftsklima alliance and the University of Würzburg, with the help of sponsors. We asked 35 randomly selected citizens what fair mobility means to them and developed 15 recommendations over three days—available to read online. What was interesting were the interests of car drivers: not more parking spaces in the city center or wider roads, but park-and-ride options outside the city and separate cycle paths within it. People do not want to exercise violence, and they are willing to approach one another when they engage seriously with the topic and feel that they are being heard. The city council received the Future Council very positively and showed great interest in the format. Now it is about staying committed. Würzburg can become more beautiful for everyone if we show engagement—especially for the most vulnerable members of our society; if we address problems within associations or in everyday encounters with colleagues and people we meet on the street; and if we counter hatred and incitement online, in comments and on social media, and clearly express what kind of Würzburg we want. Thank you for your commitment. Together, we can shape change for everyone.