Frankenthal lets shops put advertising boards outside again, keeping a 1.5-metre clear path

Frankenthal's city council in Rhineland-Palatinate amended its street-use ordinance (Sondernutzungssatzung) on 28 October 2026, less than a year after the current version took effect in January. Retailers may again place one mobile advertising board per business outside, generally up to A1 size, along building facades in designated areas. Boards must be detectable with a long cane. Shops may also set out a small table with two chairs and high-quality display stands. Bans remain on neon colours, lit or moving adverts, beach flags, oversized advertising figures and add-on attachments. Cafés get more outdoor space in designated parts of Speyerer Straße and Bahnhofstraße. A continuous barrier-free path at least 1.50 metres wide must stay clear throughout the centre, with exceptions only where expressly regulated. Fees, last changed in 2011, are unchanged.

The city's advisory board for people with disabilities raised concerns and does not support all of the provisions. The case shows a common tension in struggling town centres: design rules meant to tidy streets meet traders who want visibility, and the clear-path width becomes the measurable compromise.