Review: Event on Transportation Policy in Kassel

“What should transportation policy in Kassel look like after the local elections?”—This question was the focus of an event held in early November at UNI:Lokal in downtown Kassel. ADFC Kassel, the Dynamo Windrad recreational sports club, and the VCD had invited the newly formed city council caucuses to the event.

At the start, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Carsten Sommer addressed the focus of the evening in his opening remarks: active mobility. This is because walking and cycling produce no CO₂, pollutants, or noise emissions and provide significant social benefits. In Kassel alone, the external health benefits of walking amount to approximately 125 million euros per year, while those of cycling amount to approximately 31 million euros.

Boris von Heesen then provided an overview of transportation policy in Germany in his presentation. In the discussion that followed, representatives from the Greens, the CDU, the SPD, The Left, Volt, and the BSW answered prepared questions regarding the concerns of cyclists and pedestrians.