FDP party leader wants to decide pro-car program with parking flat rate
The FDP wants to make driving in city centers attractive again. On Monday, the party leadership plans to adopt a pro-car program that either provides free parking or a nationwide parking flat rate, Bild am Sonntag reported. "We don't need an anti-car policy," FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai told the newspaper. The Liberals reportedly aim to actively distance themselves from the Greens, who have criticized the FDP's one-sided traffic policy.
An FDP spokesman confirmed that the Liberals' presidium plans to adopt a program focusing on cars on Monday. According to Bild am Sonntag, the resolution paper calls for municipalities to attract more cars to city centers by making parking free. Alternatively, the FDP plans to introduce a nationwide, affordable flat-rate parking system, similar to the 49-euro train ticket.
At the same time, the party wants to reduce the number of bike lanes and pedestrian zones, and if they are implemented, only with direct citizen involvement. The resolution paper suggests using digitalization to guide car traffic with green waves, thereby minimizing traffic jams, emissions, and accidents.
The newspaper reported that this is an explicit counter-proposal to the Greens. Djir-Sarai told the newspaper that the FDP is "actively opposed to a green policy of paternalism." Stefan Gelbhaar, the Greens' transport spokesman in the Bundestag, told AFP news agency that the FDP should not "write cheap pamphlets, but present something that makes sense with their finance and transport ministries." This should also include "technology openness," allowing citizens to move around safely and conveniently by foot, bike, bus, and train.
Better sharing offers could also "encourage more people to use cars when and where they need them, including parking," Gelbhaar said. Additionally, the focus should be on emission-free vehicles to improve air quality.
According to Bild am Sonntag, the FDP also plans to allow supervised driving for 16-year-olds and explicitly supports motorsports, which it sees as a driving force for innovation in the automotive sector.
The FDP party leadership is set to adopt a pro-car program on Monday, as confirmed by an FDP spokesperson. This program includes proposed solutions such as making parking free in city centers or introducing a nationwide, affordable flat-rate parking system.
Despite the FDP's pro-car policy, Stefan Gelbhaar, the Greens' transport spokesman, criticizes the liberals and suggests a more comprehensive approach that includes emission-free vehicles and better sharing offers to encourage sustainable transportation options.
