The public order office distributes parking tickets – retail wants parking spaces

There are no designated parking spaces on Potsdamer Platz. You can still park your car in the area where traffic is calm. However, this is prohibited – and can result in a fine.

Soest – Whether it's for a book from Ritterschen, a bottle of wine from Scholz delicatessen or a bouquet of flowers from Sandra Kruse: drivers love to park their cars on Potsdamer Platz to do their shopping without having to spend a long time searching for a designated parking space.

But this is forbidden. Potsdamer Platz is a traffic-quiet zone – in the area designated as such, drivers are only allowed to park their cars in designated areas; This is what the legislature says. The Road Traffic Law states in Annex 3 in the relevant section that: “No person driving a vehicle shall park outside designated areas, except for entry, exit, loading or unloading.”

What is considered loading or unloading?

But when exactly is this a loading or unloading process – and when is it not? “The size of the goods makes the difference,” explains Thorsten Boten, spokesman for the city of Soest. For example, if an entire box full of wine bottles or a heavy planter needs to be moved, this is a loading operation. But if it's just a piece of cheese, or a single bottle, or a bouquet of flowers, then no. Then you are not allowed to park the car, you can only stop – that is, the stopping period must not exceed three minutes. If so, the result could be a fine from law enforcement: according to the city, illegal parking costs a fine of 25 euros. Of course, it is always about the individual case that Public Order Office staff have to evaluate.

The best solution is to have parking spaces here.

But Michael Schulz of the delicatessen of the same name in Potsdamer Platz also confirms that parked cars regularly exceed these three minutes. “The best solution would be to have parking spaces here,” says Michael Schultz, expressing his desire.

Potsdamer Platz: The city does not want to allocate parking spaces

However, the city has no plans to designate parking spaces at this location. The reason for this is the buses that operate on Potsdamer Platz. Appropriate distances must be maintained. If cars stop there, i.e. the driver leaves his car for a long time, he may not be able to leave in time if the bus wants to pass through. The city says the public order office does not allow parking.

Illegal parking in Potsdamer Platz has been a recurring problem in Soest for decades. “We've been here since 1966 — and it's always worked out one way or another, as it does now,” says Michael Schultz. The police are also aware of the increasing number of parking spaces on Potsdamer Platz. “We have nothing to do with stationary traffic as such, but we realized that dangerous situations arise, especially in Potsdamer Platz,” says police spokesman Marco Bava Schinelli. The police spokesman explains that drivers do not always adhere to the permitted walking speed, and that there are also a large number of pedestrians. “The fact that people are parking there does not make the situation any less dangerous.” That's why the police regularly check Potsdamer Platz – as they did recently – and will continue to do so in the future.

A store recently closed in Potsdamer Platz. Owner withdraws completely from retail.