Residents' meeting on 16 September 2022

Extract from the questions and answers at the residents' meeting on 16 September

The energy crisis:

The energy crisis in our country is currently the dominant topic. For many people, companies and organisations, this is already an existential problem, although the actual impact on our society is not yet fully foreseeable. This development is also an immense challenge for us as a city and for our municipal subsidiaries - probably one of the biggest we have had to experience in recent decades. The total additional expenditure we are talking about here is in the double-digit million range for the city. I therefore expect the federal and state governments to bear in mind the extremely precarious situation of the local authorities and those affected locally, the citizens, companies, associations and institutions, when designing the announced aid packages. What is on the table so far is too vague and nowhere near enough. I will also be lobbying the federal and state governments vigorously in this regard. Energy must remain affordable.


Traffic lights:

Why are the traffic lights on the corner of Annaberger Straße and Uhlestraße or Erdmannsdorfer Straße not switched off at night?

As a rule, traffic lights must also be kept in operation at night. Deviations are only possible in justified exceptional cases, as otherwise the probability of accidents increases significantly. Generally valid studies have shown that accidents roughly double in number and severity when traffic lights are switched off.

Each traffic light is considered individually with stakeholders such as the traffic authority, police, transport companies, representatives of the disabled, ...

The Annaberger Strasse/Erdmannsdorfer Strasse and Annaberger Strasse/Uhlestrasse traffic lights have been in continuous operation to date because Annaberger Strasse is a main road with corresponding traffic loads and tram operations.

In the context of energy saving, we have proposed reducing the continuous operating hours to 04 - 24 h, although this has not been approved by the Chemnitz police department.

Future of the citizens' platforms:

The citizens' platforms are a good instrument for citizen participation in Chemnitz. The City Council resolution on the funding guideline and the incorporation into the main statutes have created the legal basis for the continued existence of the citizens' platforms. I do not currently see any need for change here.

Department 3

Why is nothing being done about the mass gathering of alcoholics and the riots on the Wall? As a citizen, you hardly dare to walk along there.

We can also see that the number of different groups on the Wall has increased. This development follows the general trend of people meeting in public places to consume alcohol and party. The ready availability of cheap alcohol makes this an attractive meeting place. The "Am Wall" road is therefore a focal point of the city police's enforcement activities. In Germany, it is generally permitted to consume alcohol in public. Alcohol prohibition zones are therefore almost impossible to enforce. However, the administration is in contact with local residents to find solutions to ensure that the "Am Wall" path remains usable for everyone.

The city centre often looks dirty because rubbish flies around and rubbish bins are overflowing. What is being done about this?

We are already responding to the increased use of the city centre through festivals and increased use of public spaces by emptying the more than 300 waste bins in the city centre considerably more often. In particularly heavily used areas, bins are emptied up to five times a day. Extra cleaning and emptying takes place after public events. From the city's point of view, this is no longer feasible with the current resources. However, we are pleased that young people are becoming more active with litter collection campaigns. We would like to see more of this in the future and support such campaigns, which are best registered with the ASR in advance.

Department 5

For the Chemnitz schools, information was provided on the implementation status of digitalisation and individual questions regarding school registration.


Further questions about the Bernsdorf swimming complex:

When will the swimming complex be completed?

The construction work should be largely completed by 2023 and the complex will be opened at the start of the second half of the school year.
is scheduled for the start of the 2nd half of the 2024 school year.

What will happen to the outdoor pool area?

It was explained that planning will begin here in the second half of 2022 in order to prepare a qualified application for funding
application for funding and thus to provide technical and planning support for the provisional funding decision.

Department 6

How many public squares (intervention areas in the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 process) are there?

Each citizens' platform area has the opportunity to choose a public square that can be redesigned. It is important to create participation, cultural interaction and encounters in these squares. There are 16 of these squares in Chemnitz. One for each civic platform and each locality. The selection, which is to be based on the broadest possible citizen participation, is coordinated by the citizens' platform or the locality itself. 325,000 is available for each site. In the Chemnitz Centre area, this is a venue on Vettersstraße and in Chemnitz South, the Morgenleite park.

> Further information on the public squares