Protesting the A100 highway, nightlife establishments in Berlin take to raving
The debate surrounding the extension of Berlin's motorway A100 from Dreieck Neukölln to Treptower Park remains a contentious issue, with opposition and protests persisting through 2022 and 2023, and set to continue into 2025 as the opening date draws near.
The extension, also known as the 16th construction phase, was initially planned to open in June 2025, but technical and supply issues with electronic traffic signage have resulted in a delay until late August or early September 2025.
Opposition to the project is widespread, with civil society groups such as "A100 stoppen" campaigning against the motorway's expansion. They criticise not only the environmental and urban quality impacts but also public transparency issues, such as delays in releasing traffic data by Berlin's traffic senator Ute Bonde, which critics interpret as attempts to slow or obscure critical evaluation of the extension's effects.
Protests have focused on concerns about increased traffic, pollution, and the destruction of urban neighbourhoods. The resistance involves public campaigns, petitions, and organised events aimed at stopping the further expansion of the urban motorway through residential areas like Neukölln, where social and environmental impacts are perceived as detrimental.
The controversy has not gone unnoticed by Berlin's political landscape. The FDP and CDU support the motorway extension, while the Greens and DIE LINKE oppose it.
In a recent development, an appeal has been issued for a rave-demonstration in Berlin, scheduled for September 13 under the motto "A100 wegbassen." The demonstration aims to advocate for investing in public transport, safe cycle paths, and pedestrian zones instead of the motorway extension. The purpose of the protest is to demonstrate against the planned extension of the major Berlin motorway.
The demonstration will begin at Markgrafendamm at 17:00, and the planned motorway junction at Treptower Park is the intended destination. The motorway extension threatens the future of some of Berlin's most beloved nightclubs, including About Blank, Renate, and Else, which have voiced their support for the rave-demonstration.
The route of the rave-demonstration will head over the Elsenbrücke to the planned motorway junction at Treptower Park. The motorway extension would run from Treptower Park across the Spree and through Friedrichshain.
As the date of the rave-demonstration approaches, the focus remains on the ongoing debate surrounding the A100 extension and the future of Berlin's urban landscape. The expected size of the rave-demonstration has not been specified, but the determination and activism of those opposed to the extension show no signs of abating.
- The debate over the A100 motorway extension in Berlin has extended into realms beyond transportation policy-and-legislation and politics, as the argument against the project seeps into environmental-science, general-news, and even entertainment, with Berlin's nightclubs voicing their opposition.
- The concern about increased traffic, pollution, and urban destruction has mobilized civil society groups like "A100 stoppen" and environmental-activists, using social-media platforms to spread awareness and coordinate protests, such as the upcoming rave-demonstration set for September 13.
- The rave-demonstration, dubbed "A100 wegbassen," is not merely an entertainment event; it serves as a platform for advocating investments in public transport, safe bike paths, and pedestrian zones, as alternatives to the motorway extension.
- As the A100 extension moves closer to completion, with reported delays until late August or early September 2025, the future of Berlin's urban landscape remains under scrutiny, subject to the ongoing discussions and actions taking place within social-media, the entertainment industry, and politics, reflecting the multifaceted nature of climate-change and societal challenges.
