ÖDP's Sonja Haider interview: sustainable Munich & European Green Capital Award

Sonja Haider (photo: Hartmut Keitel)

Sonja Haider (photo: Hartmut Keitel)

From working on the Munich Börse and the mighty London Stock Exchange to working for green groups, interspersed by a stint as an interior designer, Sonja Haider brings a varied background to her role as an ödp representative on the Munich City Council. And her most recent project, the European Green Capital award, has the potential to transform her home city.

‘1.6 billion euros for new cycle pathways,’ reads the headline on the Süddeutsche Zeitung website in mid-December. The city council clearly wants to show the people of Munich that it’s taking the issue of cycling in the city seriously – the 1.6 billion euros would ensure that a cycle network of around 450 kilometres would be “built or extended”.

Considering where the city was a year ago, few would argue that this is anything other than a mightily impressive commitment.

Some weeks earlier, I had entered Munich’s Gothic town hall, home to the city council, to speak to Sonja Haider of the ödp, who is one of three of the eco-focused party’s representatives on the city council. The ödp (Ökologisch-Demokratischen Partei) translates as the Ecological Democratic Party, roughly a slightly more conservative ecological party than the much better-known Greens. While it’s not always clear where the overlaps and differences between the parties are, they both have a commitment to massively improving Munich’s sustainable travel options, including the aforementioned cycle network.

Successful citizens’ petition
On 15 October this year, the city council announced its first plans of how it would begin to implement a citizens’ petition to create a cycle path around the Altstadt, the Old City. Months earlier, Munich citizens had voted overwhelmingly in favour of not only this but also another ‘Radentscheid’ (cycling petition), which aims to build a comprehensive city cycle network worthy of the description – instead of the pathetic patchwork of cycleways it currently has. Munich’s notion of being a world-class cycle city, summed up in ‘Radlhauptstadt München’ (Cycling Capital Munich), was beyond parody – more so when compared to the likes to Amsterdam and Copenhagen.

Haider is spokesperson for both petitions and one of her focuses as a city councillor is sustainable transport. When the city announced that it would go forward with the first phase of the Altstadt cycle ring, she was quoted in local newspapers as saying she was, ‘… very excited that a first detailed plan had already been drawn up’. Her positivity with the news was still palpable when I interview her weeks later, simply because the city is finally starting to act, finally understanding that it ‘could do a lot better,’ as she puts it.

Munich is a city that likes to promote itself as up there with the likes of Amsterdam and Copenhagen, open, tolerant and ahead of the game when it comes to sustainability. At a stretch, one could argue that there is a kernel of truth to it. As the capital of one of Europe’s most affluent regions, Bavaria, and a city with huge wealth and no little influence, it could – should – be genuinely matching any city in the European Union in terms of sustainable living. The truth is, it doesn’t.

Munich Rathaus, the City Hall, facing Marienplatz

Munich Rathaus, the City Hall, facing Marienplatz

Stocks, shares and interior design
Haider’s background is interesting, formed in the banking sector, as a trader, first in her native Munich, then London in the early 1990s, in those early years after the Big Bang. She grew disillusioned with banking, leading to some soul searching, summed up in the question, ‘What the hell am I doing?’ Her answer eventually took her back to Munich to take on something she hoped would be more creative, training to be an interior designer. ‘But I discovered that though interior design is nice, it’s not more creative than banking,’ she says. ‘I then had an “aha! moment”, where I thought: “This is not what I want to do: glossy reports, nice photos and nice stands at a booth at a fair.” I like being creative but [as with banking] there was some kind of meaning missing.’

Her ’aha’ moment took her to the environmental movement, starting with Green City, an organisation a few green enthusiasts had started back in 1990, which has subsequently grown to become one of the most important groups pushing Munich towards a much more sustainable future. ‘I was the Finance Board member and I did book keeping. I worked for a lot of NGOs and very often I did the finance stuff. At Green City I also did a fundraising seminar for two years to understand how to get more funding possibilities.’

Despite the good works and the progress Green City made, the truth is that Munich is nowhere near its potential as an environmentally friendly city. Taking into consideration the relative wealth of the city, with its highly educated population and that it has had Green politicians on its city council for years, the city has been at best lethargic in pursuing any real green transformation. As Andreas Schuster from Green City alluded to me in this interview in summer 2019, the title the city gave itself of ‘Radlhauptstadt München’ was dropped after eight years … because it was demonstrably not true. And there seemed no prospect of it becoming true.

The start of a transformation
Haider, like Schuster, has been a persistent voice in the quest for Munich creating a genuine integrated cycling network. ‘Yes, I really do think we could do a lot better,’ she says. ‘But the answer as to why this hasn't happened in recent years is I think because people were happy and confident [with the state of the city] and no one wanted to change much.’ Haider does not say it, but some would argue that the lack of climate action is also partly down to Munich’s unique role as a bastion of the left-of-centre SPD in a heavily conservative CSU-dominated Bavaria. The Munich SPD might have been in power in the Rathaus for most of the last seven decades, in recent times often alongside the Greens, but there has always been an accompanying stultifying conservative stream to the way it operates.

This, however, appears to be changing – albeit on the back of the popular acceptance of the climate emergency, manifested in 2019 by regular FridaysForFuture, Extinction Rebellion and other demos in Munich, and the Greta Thumberg phenomenon. The upshot is that it now looks like Haider’s long-hoped for transformation could, finally, happen. And she’s delighted. ‘We’ve now got detailed plans, not just drafts,’ she says. ‘Previously, councillors and planners may have wanted to make changes but were held back … Now I have the feeling that people in authority are already very much in our favour ... Now they say they would like to push as many projects through as possible.’

The announcement of the colossal 1.6 billion euros to transform the cycle network, alongside experiments that have taken parking places away from a select few Munich streets, or restricted vehicle use on others, seems evidence that Munich is finally taking its responsibilities for sustainable travel seriously. The jury, however, is still very much out and campaigners are keeping up the pressure.

European Green Capital award
Towards the end of the interview, I ask Haider if there is any one single policy she most wishes she could get through the city council. ‘Yes, I want Munich to apply to be the Green Capital of Europe.’ It makes perfect sense. Munich is a capital used to applying for and hosting major competitions and events. And it’s pretty good at it. The nature of the application process alone would push Munich towards planning a radical transformation of the city’s green credentials – simply because to become the European Green Capital involves a whole host of criteria that need to be implemented and verified. Winning should set in motion that transformation.

It appears an inspired idea, and it is one Haider presents to the city council in November 2019. The idea is to apply for the 2023 award, and if not successful on this first attempt, to use it as a learning curve to win the one immediately afterwards. In a press release, she writes:

‘I particularly like the fact that the prize is not just a few glossy brochures ­– it demands a lot from the city when it comes to environmental protection. I also see great potential in the possibility of involving companies and citizens in the measures. Only together can the major environmental problems be solved.’

Just before finishing this article I see her again, this time in Pasing, where she’s canvassing, and handing out organic apples to passers-by, ahead of next year’s city-wide local elections. She’s optimistic that the city is finally heading in the right direction. She talks passionately about the success of the Radentscheid, and the building of the city’s cycle network. And she’s determined to put the European Green Capital award at the forefront of the agenda. It’s one of the best ways, she thinks, to ensure a long-lasting and fundamental transformation of her city in terms of sustainable living.

 

Munich city council reveals first plans for cycle path round Altstadt

‘I’m very excited that a first detailed plan has already been drawn up,’ Sonja Haider is quoted as saying in the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ). She is, of course, talking about the much-heralded prospect of a cycle path (Radring) around Munich’s Old City (Altstadt).

Haider, a member of the city council for the environmental-focused ödp and a Radring activist, has every reason to be happy – it seems that by the end of 2021, the first part of Munich’s new Radring should be complete, and with it hopefully an enticing signpost of what the future of the city might look like.

 

After months of activists easily collecting sufficient signatures, in July 2019 the city council agreed with the people of Munich that they wanted a greener, more bike-focused city. The demands of activists came in the form of two petitions and both included huge numbers of signatures: one for a comprehensive rethink of the city’s whole cycle infrastructure; another supporting the Radring, a continuous, safe and convenient cycle path around the Altstadt.

The news on 15 October, as reported by the SZ (German) and other media, of these first ‘concrete plans for the cycle ring around the Altstadt’, is only the start. But it is a start.

Work will begin in summer 2020 on a stretch from near Blumenstraße to Sendlinger-Tor-Platz, with a path measuring at least 2.8 metres wide and – importantly – include a half-metre-wide security line keeping cars and bikes separate. In the process, 17 parking places will be removed (just 17? Doesn’t sound like many?).

Apparently, Munich’s municipal building department has been preparing work on the area since 2014, including improved cycling infrastructure. There appears, however, to be more negotiations to be worked through before the city council rubber-stamps the Blumenstraße–Sendlinger-Tor-Platz, plans, but at least we know that it appears progress is being made.

Munich CSU and SPD overturn 2022 coal referendum result

‘We take the referendum result very seriously,’ said Munich SPD politician Simone Burger, shortly after helping the city to ignore that same referendum result. To be honest, it has increasingly looked likely that the city council would overturn the result to close Munich’s coal-fired power station by 2022 – according to the economic committee, because it was unfeasible to do so.

Keep going until 2028? Unlikely. (image Renardo la vulpo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heizkraftwerk_M%C3%BCnchen_Nord,_6.jpeg)

Keep going until 2028? Unlikely. (image Renardo la vulpo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heizkraftwerk_M%C3%BCnchen_Nord,_6.jpeg)

The 2017 referendum result (60.2% voted for it) (Ger) had a deadline to be acted upon by the city after one year, meaning city politicians had an easy way out of what would have been a huge challenge, say the committee, of coming up with power of equal capacity. The Federal Network Agency, a national regulator, apparently, would have provided legal support to the decision.

Green politicians are furious, of course, and dispute the committee’s finding, insisting that sufficient power could have been found by 2022. ÖDP council member Tobias Ruff is quoted in the SZ (Ger) as questioning the committee’s findings. Others questioned whether, since the referendum, there had been the will to genuinely explore the possibilities of closing the energy gap.

Dominik Krause – of the Greens – is quoted on the party’s website as describing the decision as a ‘disregard for the will of the people’ (Ger). He says a plan to take the power plant out of operation ‘and used only in emergencies’ would ‘meet the legal requirements of the Federal Network Agency’.

The reality is that the coal-fired power station will continue to be used until 2028, by when the city says renewables, including geothermal energy, will have sufficiently closed the gap. The SZ reports that ‘750,000 tons of hard coal are burned every year’, which is planned to drop to 200,000 a year by the closure year.

But there is also another reality: because of what we know about the ongoing and worsening climate emergency, it seems inconceivable that Munich will still have a coal-fired power station so far into the 2020s.

This, then, isn’t the end of the story. There will be a few more twists and turns before history closes on Munich and coal-fired energy.

SPD and Greens need to deliver on Munich cycling transformation

Munich’s lord mayor, the SPD’s Dieter Reiter (Ger), has officially (Ger) put his support behind the two cycling petitions that recently gathered an impressive 160,000 signatures in the Bavarian capital.

The proposed Altstadt ring cycle route (Image: Radentscheid München)

On 24 July the city council will meet to decide how to proceed – meaning whether to accept the two petitions pretty much as they stand or to make improvements (it seems unlikely there will be sufficient voices in the Rathaus to reject the petitions, which would lead to referendums).

Organised by Radentscheid München, a cycling pressure group, the aim is twofold: to create a cycle path around the Altstadt ring and to comprehensively improve the shoddy, wholly inadequate cycling infrastructure across the whole city.

The result of the two petitions is that Munich now has the potential to become an outstanding cycling friendly city to match the best there is.

That’s the good news. The question is whether the city is prepared to come up with a plan radical enough.

The demand from Radentscheid München, armed with those 160,000 signatures, is nothing short of the transformation Munich: ‘a city-wide, continuous and dense cycling network [that is] safe, uncomplicated and stress-free …’

It will logically mean many streets without cars, for example, and vehicle parking places removed and cycling lanes put in their place. Some of this is already happening – far too slowly, on a tiny scale and the impact is laughably minimal.

With the effects of the climate emergency becoming burningly apparent every day, the opportunity afforded by the two petitions cannot be wasted. Nothing short of a radical transformation of Munich’s entire transportation philosophy will suffice.

Guardian article on ‘ten common myths about bike lanes - and why they’re wrong’

Guardian article on ‘ten common myths about bike lanes - and why they’re wrong’

Car drivers are not going to leave their vehicles at home, share cars, do without cars altogether (as many will have to in the very near future) without world-class transport infrastructure. Or without political support and action.

The conservative CSU has shown it cannot be relied on when it comes to the environment; it is down to Reiter’s SPD and the Greens in the Munich Rathaus. The petitions demonstrate that they have good public support. They now need to deliver.

 

 

 

Munich's historic old city petition hits target for referendum

Graphic showing the current challenge riders have in cycling around Munich’s historic Altstadt (Image: Radentscheid München)

Cycling pressure group Radentscheid München today announced that the first of two June citizens’ petitions had gathered the necessary number of signatures, in a quick-fire three months. Münchners still have another week to sign the Altstadt-Radlring petition before it closes.

The petition, which runs alongside the more ambitious petition for a comprehensive and safer cycle infrastructure across Munich, aims to push the city council into creating a good-quality cycle path around the Altstadt, the historic inner city. In a press release, Sonja Haider, a Radentscheid’s spokesperson,  stressed that the ‘Altstadt-Radlring was only the first stage. Now we need a city-wide massive improvement for cycling, especially safe cycle paths for all road users.’

Both petitions close on 30 June and they will be celebrated by a major demonstration entitled Radl-Ringdemo that will see perhaps thousands of cyclists descend on the city to show their support.

See the official website for more information, including how to sign and also to join the demo (11-2 o’clock at Theresienwiese – see map below). 

 

Munich also needs to declare a climate emergency – now

The Brexit-dogged British parliament pulled itself together this week to became the first to announce an ‘environment and climate emergency’. It is now incumbent on other countries’ parliaments to follow the UK lead, thereby, building on the momentum created by Greta Thumberg, FridaysForFuture and the growing Extinction Rebellion protests that so impressed in London recently.   

Yesterday, Konstanz became the first German city to declare a climate emergency. But what about Munich? The Bavarian capital likes to promote itself as green city, extolling its own green energy plans, cycle network and other sustainable initiatives. To varying degrees, some of this is true. And Munich has already declared that it will be climate neutral by 2050.

But the hugely damaging effects of climate change demands further words, further action. Munich needs to follow in the welcome footsteps of Konstanz and unequivocally declare an environment and climate emergency.

Why?

It would place the city firmly on the right side of history. And it would proudly and publicly position itself alongside the growing bandwagon of people, cities and (hopefully) parliaments in recognising that some kind of radical transformation of the way we live is required.

 The cleverest cities, the ones that back it up with meaningful and early action, such as Copenhagen, will be the ones that benefit quickest. And this will be felt not just economically, but also in the health and wellbeing of their citizens.

 

Munich Green

Over the coming months, I will be writing blogs focusing on green issues, sustainability and a few other similar topics relating to Munich, whether citizens’ initiatives, new innovations or efforts by the city council.

If you think there is anything I have missed or should cover, please just let me know: info@paul-wheatley.eu

Bavarian television records young FridaysForFuture activists at Munich’s Marienplatz

Bavarian television records young FridaysForFuture activists at Munich’s Marienplatz