Ansage zu Parkplätzen und Verkehrsmitteln im Waldstadion

What does “ausweichen” mean in a German announcement?

Ausweichen literally means to swerve or dodge — stepping aside to avoid a collision. But in formal German announcements it shifts to mean “fall back on an alternative.” When a car park is full and the PA says auf die öffentlichen Verkehrsmittel ausweichen, it means “switch to public transport instead.” The same verb covers the physical and the practical, which catches many learners off guard.

The verb comes from weichen — to yield or give way — with aus- adding the sense of stepping out of the way. That literal image (“step aside onto something else”) is exactly what the figurative use preserves: you step away from your car and onto a tram. You’ll hear the same structure whenever a German announcement reroutes people: auf den Bus ausweichen, auf eine andere Route ausweichen. In the clip, the Waldstadion PA announces that parking zones A and B are full and asks visitors from outside the city — Besucher von außerhalb — to use public transport instead: Wir bitten Besucher von außerhalb, auf die öffentlichen Verkehrsmittel auszuweichen.