Forward Momentum Needed: Green Faction Pushes for Swift Bike Lane Development in Rhineland-Palatinate
- Commuter Aggravation
Irritating Situation: A Comprehensive Examination or Run-Down of Persistent Annoyances. - "Greens Demand Accelerated Action for Expansion of Cycling Infrastructure"
It's high time for change: The Green faction in Rhineland-Palatinate is pushing hard for a speedy advancement in the construction and planning of commuter bike routes. According to mobility spokeswoman Lea Heidbreder, "local commuters are growing impatient, waiting years for the long-awaited commuter route to finally see the light of day." She urges that bike lane construction must ramp up significantly in future years. "We need to swiftly transition from planning to action on all routes across the state."
The General German Bicycle Club (ADFC) in Rhineland-Palatinate echoes this sentiment, expressing support for an expedited implementation of bike routes. Business manager Robert Wöhler is particularly vocal in favor of this idea.
Coming Construction Corridors
Seven corridors are set to serve as commuter bike routes in Rhineland-Palatinate: stretches from Bingen to Mainz, along the Upper Rhine between Worms and Karlsruhe/Woerth, from Konz via Trier to Schweich, from Landau to Neustadt/Weinstraße, from Kaiserslautern to Landstuhl, and from Koblenz north to the state border with North Rhine-Westphalia and south to Boppard.
These corridors stem from a 2014 study that assessed the potential of such routes. According to the State Mobility Authority (LBM), these routes aim to connect "significant destinations such as major employment centers, city centers, industrial areas, universities, administrative sites, as well as train stations and residential areas, particularly in densely populated areas."
Work in Progress
Currently ridable sections on some routes are limited. The Ministry of Transport, led by Daniela Schmitt (GFDP), has completed the initial section between Bingen and Heidesheim on the route from Bingen to Mainz and is currently consulting on the further stretch to the state capital. An approximately 3-kilometer stretch in the Verbandsgemeinde Schweich and about 1.3 kilometers in Konz have been implemented on the Konz-Trier-Schweich route.
For the Landau-Neustadt/Weinstraße corridor, the ministry is conducting tests and consultations on the joint use of agricultural economic ways and bike traffic. A new bike bridge slated for completion by the end of 2024 will cross the heavily trafficked federal road B10 near Landau, part of the route.
The state is financing feasibility studies to a large extent. In the case of the Landstuhl-Kaiserslautern corridor, work on a cooperation agreement between the two cities is ongoing, and the status of the various sections of the route between Worms and Karlsruhe/Woerth is as follows: consultations for a cooperation agreement are underway for Worms-Frankenthal-Ludwigshafen, a draft plan is to be created for Ludwigshafen-Schifferstadt this year, and there is a small, 300-meter-long inner-city section in Schifferstadt-Speyer-Woerth for which planning or consultations are ongoing between municipal carriers for the rest.
A feasibility study for the route from Koblenz south to Boppard is complete and was handed over to project partners at the end of May. According to the ministry, a similar study for the route from Koblenz north to the state border is still pending. This study would investigate possibilities on both sides of the Rhine.
- Traffic
- Rhineland-Palatinate
- ADFC
- Bingen
- Mainz
- Trier
- Koblenz
- Booster
- Bicycle
- Commuter
- Worms
- Karlsruhe
- Wörth
- Landau
- Boppard
- Corridor
- Ministry of Transport
Sources:[1] Green faction demands more speed in construction of commuter bike routes, Rheinpfalz, 7th May 2021[2] Moselle Cycle Path construction delays, ADFC website, 10th September 2020[3] Don't wait for years: the Green faction calls for hastened commuter bike route planning and construction, Rhein-Zeitung, 5th June 2021[4] Delays in Moselle Cycle Path construction, Trierischer Volksfreund, 12th June 2021
- The Green faction in Rhineland-Palatinate is seeking to boost the bicycle industry by urging the Commission, the Council, and the European Parliament to provide funding for swift bike lane development along the seven commuter routes, including those from Bingen to Mainz, Trier to Schweich, and Landau to Neustadt/Weinstraße.
- Citing the voice of the General German Bicycle Club (ADFC) in Rhineland-Palatinate, the Green faction argues that the finance sector should afford priority to public-transit projects that enhance transportation infrastructure, such as bike lanes, to expedite lifestyle changes towards sustainable living and home-and-garden choices.
- As the Ministry of Transport in Rhineland-Palatinate progresses with the construction of commuter bike routes, it calls upon the Commission and the Council to consider the potential impact of these transportation projects on traffic patterns in Rhineland-Palatinate, particularly in densely populated areas, and to develop strategies that ensure smooth integration of new bike lanes with existing transportation systems.
