The city does not currently know exactly how many park benches there are in Hamburg. By the end of the year, the districts will count all the benches for the first time. They also enter their location on maps so that it is clear where there is still a need.
There should be a bench every 500 meters, the pedestrian interest group recently called for in its statement on the new bicycle and pedestrian alliance in the Hanseatic city. The CDU demands that there should always be many more routes that are used frequently. On Wednesday, the parliamentary group will table a motion in the city council asking the Senate to ensure that there are at least 30 percent more benches available in each district. In addition, in the future there will be contact persons who can be contacted if there are no benches in the street.
The corona pandemic has shown that the city has a problem with a lack of park benches, the parliamentary group argues in its application. This has led to even more people in Hamburg discovering walking for themselves. This summer, too, there were still a striking number of pedestrians. However, older people and people with restricted mobility in particular missed a sufficient number of benches.
The CDU criticizes that the Senate is only neglecting the issue. “Most recently, the SPD and the Greens simply rejected an application for more park benches in the districts,” says André Trepoll, who is responsible for district affairs in the parliamentary group. So now a new attempt – with which Trepoll is pursuing another goal: not only should the number of benches grow. He also calls for more “smart benches” that generate solar power, which can be used to charge a smartphone, for example. Trepoll also wants to expand the number of chatter benches. These are marked benches that are deliberately intended for conversations.