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Seating furniture in Groß-Gerau: Business speaks out against inner city project
Groß-Gerau is removing street furniture from the city center as a test; Criticism from business owners leads to the cancellation of the second phase of the project.
Seating furniture in Groß-Gerau: Business speaks out against inner city project
An experiment has come to an end in Groß-Gerau that not only tested street furniture, but also the opinions of citizens. On July 18, 2025, the city administration announced that the test seating would be removed from the city center. The reason for this decision was massive concerns from business owners, who were extremely worried about the reduction in parking spaces and the resulting loss of sales. Loud fr.de With this project, the city wanted to strengthen retail and increase the quality of life in the city center.
The 14 colorful street furniture introduced were part of the “Transform-R” project, which was started on March 4, 2025 and was initiated by the FrankfurtRhineMain regional association and supported by the state program “Rediscover Streets”. The furniture was made available to the cities free of charge as a loan from Hesse. In addition to Groß-Gerau, Hanau and Offenbach were also involved in this pilot project, the aim of which was to limit car traffic and redistribute road space in favor of non-motorized traffic.
Criticism and feedback
The first six weeks were a real challenge for the city administration, as over 1,000 feedback slips were posted in an information column. The feedback included both criticism and suggestions for improving the quality of stay in the city center. Among other things, citizens hoped for more parking spaces and the creation of a pedestrian zone on Darmstädter Straße. An online questionnaire on participation will be published shortly in order to continue to reflect the interest of the population, reports da.news.
But it wasn't just the feedback that was insightful. Traffic analyzes have shown that dangerous speeds of up to 100 km/h are reached in the evening hours, especially in the 30 km/h zone. The city administration sees a need for action here to reduce noise pollution for residents.
The reactions of the city administration
Mayor Jörg Rüddenklau was disappointed by the resistance to the project. Many business owners put pressure on them because they were concerned that installing the street furniture would scare off potential customers. In addition, problems were noticed with the use of the information point in the city center, as many feedback sheets were left empty and dirt was also found. Despite these setbacks, the city intends to evaluate the feedback, which also includes anonymized sales data from some businesses, and incorporate it into a planned mobility concept.
Meanwhile, a similar measure was implemented as a test in the neighboring town of Büttelborn, where the street furniture will remain for four months. The development in the city center of Groß-Gerau remains exciting, and it remains to be seen whether the city learns from this experiment and finds a better balance between quality of stay and the needs of businesses in the future.