New roads:
a changing city
The scheduled reconstruction of new roads in the regional capital which commenced in 1947 had by now made considerable progress. The city’s large-scale traffic engineering projects also included new streets. An efficient north-south connection was built parallel to Koenigsallee. On 16 th June 1955, the first tram travelled along this new road at 4.51 a.m.. Yet it was not until five years later, after lengthy debate, that the road was finally named. It was given the name of "Berliner Allee" after the reigning mayor of Berlin, Willy Brandt. The construction of new highways also meant that traffic policy priorities had to be reshuffled.
One author made the following comments about public transport:
"There are no trams on Koenigsallee! Perhaps in the not too distant future, pedestrians will also displace automobiles from Koenigsallee and claim it as their own personal domain. This stage of traffic development will occur, at the latest, when there is no more living space in the city centre "
Obviously, nostalgia plays a role here to some extent. The author was subconsciously aware that the tram had disappeared from the heart of the regional capital. This first small step meant that the tram had been pushed onto the sidelines by cars, and that it would require a great deal of effort to restore the positive image that it once held among Duesseldorf’s citizens.