fBicycle roads can increase the acceptance of two-wheelers as a daily means of transport in cities like Offenbach. This is one result of the study by traffic experts from Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, who have now presented a final report after accompanying the Bike Offenbach project from 2018 to 2022.
However, surveys at the beginning and end of the study also revealed that in the course of the test on a section of Senefelderstrasse in Offenbach, the cyclists’ sense of safety had decreased significantly. In 2018, more than 70 percent of respondents of all age groups were still of the opinion that cycle streets offer increased safety. Four years later it was only 34 percent who assumed that bicycle streets would create more safety.
Half of the cars drive too fast
And that despite the fact that in Offenbach bicycle traffic not only has priority over car traffic, which is also limited to 30 km/h. In Offenbach, only residents are allowed to use these cycle lanes. The remaining motorists are forced to look for other routes.
Logically, this led to less motorized traffic on this section of the road, but according to the study authors, about half of the remaining cars were traveling faster than permitted. This had a correspondingly negative effect on cyclists’ sense of safety and on the risk potential.
In the course of the test operation, it was also determined that speed-reducing and risk-reducing modifications at the junctions between bicycle lanes and other traffic routes could further reduce this risk potential. In order to reduce the danger for cyclists from carelessly opening car doors at the edge of the road, the danger zones were marked with graphic elements developed by the University of Design.
“Mobility issues are increasingly being discussed emotionally”
A total of nine kilometers of cycle lanes have been created in the city since the beginning of the Bike Offenbach project between 2018 and 2022. “Mobility issues are increasingly being discussed emotionally. A good and scientifically sound basis for evaluating the expansion of bicycle infrastructure is therefore increasingly important for assessment and communication,” said Sabine Groß (Die Grünen), head of the Offenbach mobility department, when the report was presented.
The report showed that there is still room for improvement in the bicycle lanes. The Office for Mobility is already working on this. According to the city of Offenbach, it provides at least 600,000 euros of its own money every year to improve and promote cycling in the city. According to the information, this primarily includes markings on roadways, signage and other construction measures.
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