Waldemarstraße, Legien- and Leuschnerdamm on the border of the Kreuzberg and Mitte districts, with their cobblestone streets, are being used by north-south transit traffic at excessive speeds. After reunification, the city grew together with a scar that motor vehicle traffic uses as a shortcut.
Through traffic flows from-
– Oranienplatz via Leuschnerdamm towards Bethaniendamm, – Engeldamm onto Legiendamm to Oranienplatz
– Michaelkirchplatz onto Legiendamm
– Sebastian- and Luckauerstrasse via Waldemarstrasse onto Leuschnerdamm or further along Waldemarstrasse.
Drivers ignore the 10, 20, and 30 speed limit signs. This creates noise, danger, and fine dust for us residents! Crashes frequently occur at intersections. The bollards, for example, in front of the Henne Tavern and at Oranienplatz are regularly knocked over due to excessive speed. Reports to the police via the online portal achieve little. Even if they do measure, traffic is back to being too fast after three days.
We are residents with windows facing cobblestone streets, with children whose school routes, we have three daycare centers in the neighborhood and the social project for people with disabilities.
As residents, we want safety, peace and quiet, quality of life, and climate adaptation!
2026: As residents, we no longer want to wait for the approved diagonal filters to be implemented on the Kreuzberg side as part of a Kiezblock to the left and right of the Waldemar Bridge. With the capacities of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district office, the current plan for diagonal filters in 2026 will still take at least 10 years.
Hit bollards indicate speeding traffic
Berlin’s Senate, previously led by the CDU, does not want any Kiezblocks and is giving the districts too little money for bollards and staff to install them.
Already after the fall of the Wall, we founded a Traffic Working Group in the Luisenstadt Citizens’ Association and demanded speed bumps on Leuschnerdamm and Legiendamm.
2025: Residents of Waldemarstrasse are fighting back with a petition.
Now, before the election on September 20, 2026, for the Berlin House of Representatives, we interviewed candidates about their support for Kiezblocks. We also borrow devices that measure noise, speed, and the number of motor vehicles, e.g., Telraam, to document our problem! Our first device at Leuschnerdamm 19 has shown since April 23, 2026, that on the cobblestones almost half of the motor vehicles drive too fast and that motor vehicles make up 72% of the main traffic ahead of pedestrians and cyclists.
We founded a residents’ initiative “Around the Waldebrücke Speeders Out!” on Fri. 6.3.2026. If you’re interested in joining, please contact: waldebruecke[at]posteo[dot]de
We demand
– One-way streets against traffic from the Mitte district office
– Speed bumps or alternatively
– Alternating perpendicular and parallel parking, and the
– Closure of Michael-Kirchstrasse behind St. Michael’s Church by the Mitte district office!
For this, we need activities from the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg District Office for Leuschnerdamm and Legiendamm from Oranienplatz to Waldemarbrücke and for Waldemarstrasse, and from the Mitte District Office for Leuschnerdamm and Legiendamm from Waldemarbrücke to Annenstrasse!
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