Wegner wants to allow road salt use - Berlin may lift salt ban to combat icy sidewalks amid safety concerns
Berlin's icy sidewalks have become a growing hazard as many property owners fail to clear them properly. With extreme winter weather persisting, city officials are now pushing for urgent changes to maintenance rules. The debate centres on whether to allow de-icing salt—a measure currently banned due to environmental concerns.
Under Berlin's existing laws, property owners must keep sidewalks clear of ice and snow. Local districts step in when they neglect this duty, but enforcement has not prevented widespread slippery conditions. The issue has prompted calls for stricter action.
Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) is urging lawmakers to permit de-icing salt in emergencies, arguing it would ensure safer movement across the city. His stance aligns with Senator for the Environment and Transport Ute Bonde, who acknowledges the environmental risks of salt but insists exceptions are justified when lives are at risk.
A CDU motion to debate the salt exemption has been pending for weeks. Bonde is now pressing for an amendment to the street-cleaning law, while Wegner wants the House of Representatives to fast-track approval. The SPD's Berlin chairman, Steffen Krach, has not publicly commented on the proposal.
The push for de-icing salt marks a shift in Berlin's winter maintenance policy. If approved, the change would temporarily override environmental protections to address immediate safety concerns. Property owners could face stricter oversight, while the city waits for lawmakers to decide on the exemption.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
