Dhe Offenbach project to promote cycling called Bike Offenbach is nearing completion. An essential part of Offenbach’s traffic turnaround for environmentally and climate-friendly mobility is to adapt the infrastructure more to cycling. In mid-2018, the city therefore began to set up nine kilometers of cycle lanes and six bike axles under the title Bike Offenbach. Now the bike lanes are almost completely finished.
The bicycle streets run in the city center, in the Senefelder district in the north end and in the district of Bürgel. Motorists must now exercise particular caution here, because cyclists generally have the right of way and priority – they are even expressly permitted to ride next to each other. In general, a speed limit of 30 applies to everyone on cycle streets. However, most of the cycle streets are closed to through traffic anyway, only residents are allowed to enter.
Permanently reduce air pollution
“In this way we are further advancing the city’s clean air plan,” said Sabine Groß (Die Grünen), Mayor and Head of the Environment Department. In order to permanently reduce air pollution, it is important to increase the attractiveness of other modes of transport such as cycling or local public transport. According to Groß, the aim is to reduce motorized private transport.
The new bike connection between Offenbach and Neu-Isenburg is also part of the expansion of the bike infrastructure in and around Offenbach. The traffic test, initially planned for two years, is intended to make the bicycle an attractive means of transport for commuters to get to work and back home. For this purpose, a bike lane on the Sprendlinger Landstraße was completely separated from the lanes of the road with boundaries. The first construction phase was completed at the end of last year, after the winter break the second construction phase is to begin from the Geisfeldkreisel to the Gravenbruchring.
Offenbach’s head of planning and construction, Paul-Gerhard Weiß (FDP), also sees the expansion of the cycling infrastructure as a gain for Offenbach. He helps the rapidly growing city to ensure mobility for everyone. By upgrading the infrastructure for cycling, it is possible to relieve the roads and reduce traffic jams. Apart from that, one can improve the quality of life in the living environment and ultimately also create location advantages, says Weiß.
Money for national climate protection initiative
As is almost always the case with investments, Offenbach, which is still not financially adequately equipped, is also dependent on subsidies here. In this case, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection had approved the financial means for the joint project Bicycle (Road) City Offenbach in the summer of 2018 and provided around 4.53 million euros from the National Climate Protection Initiative.
The Offenbach University of Design (HfG) also played a key role in the design of the cycle lanes, for which there are currently no uniform federal guidelines. Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences also provided scientific support for the project. As a survey by Frankfurt’s Goethe University and HfG showed, almost two-thirds of all drivers and 83 percent of cyclists like the idea of cycle lanes. The project is also supported by the ADFC Offenbach and by the Hessen local mobility working group and by the Frankfurt-Rhein-Main regional association.
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