- Young liberals criticize FDP leaders' car plans
The FDP leadership's demand for relaxations for car traffic is met with resistance from their own youth wing in Lower Saxony. "The FDP's federal executive must be careful not to lose the next generation with outdated proposals," said state chairwoman Nadin Zaya.
While the car is currently undeniably an indispensable means of transportation, "we expect from a future-oriented liberal party in the federal government not a simplistic approach to the mobility transition, but a proposal on how to bring traffic participants together, not play them against each other," Zaya said.
FDP youth wing JuLis also sees car-free zones as no taboo. One-sidedly favoring the car is not a suitable response to questions about the future of mobility, she said. Instead, the future of the city center should connect the car with the bicycle and public transport. Car-free zones in city centers could also be an option where they are feasible and desired, Zaya added.
The FDP presidency had advocated for a pro-car traffic policy and largely rejected the conversion of streets into bicycle and pedestrian zones. Instead, they suggested making city centers more attractive to car drivers through free parking or affordable flat-rate parking.
Despite the FDP's push for relaxed car traffic, the party should consider the views of their youth wing, who advocates for car-free zones and a balanced approach to mobility. The future of city centers should encode harmony between cars, bicycles, and public transport, making car-free zones an option in favorable scenarios.
