After the death of activist Natenom: Cyclists demonstrate here in Hesse

Dhe death of the cyclist Andreas Mandalka, known in the scene as Natenom as an activist for greater road safety, is the reason for several vigils and cycling tours this Sunday.

In Pforzheim, where Mandalka died in an accident last week, a central memorial and memorial event is planned, but cyclists in Hesse also want to commemorate the man whose death seems tragic in a special way: the forty-three-year-old had repeatedly Social media and interviews have warned and demanded that drivers must keep the prescribed two meter distance from cyclists when overtaking, especially on country roads. Last week he was killed on a country road near Pforzheim: a driver hit him on his mountain bike, and Mandalka did not survive the following fall.

Cyclists in Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Wiesbaden, Marburg and Kassel are now using the accident as an opportunity to commemorate the deceased cyclist and at the same time reiterate his demand for safe infrastructure for all road users. The initiators of the campaigns include the Verkehrsclub Deutschland and initiatives such as Radentscheid and Critical Mass; the events are advertised on social networks under the keyword #StopKillingCyclists.

Cyclists in Hesse meet here for commemorative events

• In Wiesbaden The sympathizers meet at 11 a.m. at the main train station, from where a one-hour bike tour to Goetheplatz starts Mainz. There will be a minute's silence in front of the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Transport at 1 p.m.
• For the vigil in Frankfurt The meeting point is at 12.30 p.m. at the Alte Oper, where a minute's silence and a journey towards Nordweststadt have also been announced.
• In Darmstadt A memorial and vigil drive is planned, for which the participants will gather at Friedensplatz at 2 p.m.
• In Marburg The deceased will be remembered from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Elisabeth-Blochmann-Platz.
• In kassel The participants will meet on Sunday at 2:45 p.m. at the Fredericianum.

More fatal accidents outside the city

A look at the accident statistics in Hesse confirms that it is not just the cities that are dangerous places for cyclists: Of the 18 accidents in which cyclists were fatally injured between January and October of last year, ten occurred outside of town, including the year before the proportion is similarly high. In the case of accidents involving seriously injured cyclists, of which there were 622 in the period mentioned, the vast majority, 475, occurred in urban areas.