18. November 2010

Judgement of Federal Administrative Court Will Change German Cycle Traffic

Today the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig judged in a case of the obligation to use cycle tracks. The obligation to use cycle tracks is permitted only in qualified hazardous situations (BVerwG 3 C 42.09 - Urteil vom 18. November 2010). The judgement will change the situation in most communities in Germany, especially in Hamburg. Forcing cyclists on bad, dangerous or unusable cycle tracks will end now, if cyclist sue their communities. Hamburg´s politicians and administration have to change traffic policy and planning. Cycle tracks cannot built to prefer flow of car traffic against cycling any more.
More in tagesschau.de
More about useless Hamburg cycle tracks under Radwegmecker, Radwegehass, Rechtslage Radwege (last page not up to date).

Some up-to-date Hamburg examples in pictures:

Schützenstraße / Stresemannstraße: Cyclists should change just a few meters in front of the intersction from road lane to a cycle track and after intersection back to road lane not for safety reasons but for some more seconds green light for car traffic
Alfredstraße / Bürgerweide: Cyclists should change a few meters in front of the intersection from road lane onto sidewalk. Turning to the left they have to get off their bikes and push them until they reach the other side of the main road, just for better car traffic flow and not for safety reasons.
Ebertallee: Similar situation than at Alfredstraße / Bürgerweide
Herbert-Weichmann-Straße and Sierichstraße: Cyclists should run on the very narrow sidewalks on both sides of the streets for better car traffic flow.
Herbert-Weichmann-Straße and Sierichstraße: Cyclist have to use the sidewalks, where even parking is allowed. Bad for safety of cyclists, good for car city Hamburg.
Vorsetzen: Cyclists should run across a restaurant along the touristic North Sea Cycle Route and Elbe Cycle Route, for better car traffic flow

3 Kommentare:

  1. And there was me think that Britain had a monopoly crap cycle lanes in Europe...

    AntwortenLöschen
  2. Hello Kim,

    you are invited to visit Hamburg next year and experience lovely European Green Capital cycle tracks:
    http://hamburgize.blogspot.com/2010/09/bike-culture-cities-hamburgs-european.html
    http://hamburgize.blogspot.com/2010/07/green-city-hamburg-becomes-european.html
    http://hamburgize.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-to-design-rather-new-cycle-track.html

    AntwortenLöschen
  3. At least in Britain, you do not _have_ to use that crap ...

    AntwortenLöschen