Bremen's dispute over accessibility: redesign of the Domsheide meets with resistance!

Bremen's dispute over accessibility: redesign of the Domsheide meets with resistance!

Recently, the discussion about accessibility in local public transport in Bremen has increased in intensity. The focus here is particularly on the redesign of the Domsheide stop in front of the renowned Glocke concert hall. The Bremen State Working Group for Self-Help for Disabled People (LAGS) is highly critical of the city's current plans, which completely ignore the needs of people with disabilities. Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte emphasized the importance of disability rights in the foreword to the state action plan for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, but reality shows a different picture, as taz reports.

The redesign of the Domsheide stop has been planned since 2019, and yet the Senate has favored a variant that is viewed by many as not barrier-free. This not only results in longer journeys for passengers who have to change between different transport lines, but also a distance of up to 185 meters between stops. This is particularly unacceptable for people with mobility impairments, as Florian Grams from LAGS emphasizes. According to him, the transfer routes are unreasonable. The option chosen by the city ignores the fundamentally necessary aspects of barrier-free design, which are stipulated in the Act on Equality for People with Disabilities (BGG).

Criticism of the plans

The LAGS has already pointed out the deficiencies as part of the arbitration procedure according to the Bremen Disability Equality Act. The German Social Association and the Bremen Public Transport Initiative also vehemently support these concerns. The Mitte district parliament advisory board spoke out in favor of a central stop, but this was not implemented. A report from 2019 rated this central stop as the better option for transport planning. Instead, the Senate placed the “central urban significance” of the square above the need for accessibility.

As early as May 2021, Bremen's State Commissioner for the Disabled Arne Frankenstein and his predecessor Dr. Joachim Steinbrück called for greater consideration of accessibility in all planning. They criticized the fact that the interests of the concert hall were put above the needs of the passengers. It is required that the platforms are designed to be barrier-free and that short transfer routes are ensured. However, the current planning only envisages a variant that is rated as inadequate and does not meet the accessibility criteria, as the Disability Commissioner Bremen makes clear.

Future steps and demands

In order to improve the situation, the initiatives and relatives of people with limited mobility believe that concrete measures must be taken. It is important to seriously implement the existing legal framework, such as the Passenger Transport Act, which aims for complete accessibility in public transport. With the Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG), which will soon come into force, the city must ensure that the leveled traffic facilities meet the required standards. What is particularly important here is the assessment and inclusion of the mobility needs of all citizens.

The upcoming presentation of the redesign plans also does not give rise to optimism. While the LAGS is organizing a rally in front of the concert hall, it remains to be seen whether the Senate will rethink its priorities and put the needs of its citizens first.