The city of Geretsried wants to become a “bicycle-friendly municipality”.
There are a few tasks waiting in the certification process.
Geretsried - The neighboring town of Wolfratshausen has been a "bicycle-friendly municipality" since 2018.
Recently, Freising, Fürstenfeldbruck and Munich, among others, received the award from the Bavarian State Ministry for Housing, Building and Transport and the Working Group on Bicycle-Friendly Communities (AGFK).
Behind them lies a certification process that the city of Geretsried still has to do.
A good year ago the city council decided unanimously to apply for the title “bicycle-friendly municipality”.
Much more has happened for inclusion in the AGFK, which currently includes 83 municipalities in the Free State, has not happened since then.
The city's press spokesman, Thomas Loibl, explained when asked about the 2020 budget that was adopted shortly afterwards.
The city council has therefore decided to want to create the necessary conditions in 2021.
Therefore this year around 100,000 euros are set in the budget.
In addition, it is planned, subject to the necessary approval, to create an additional half-job in the town hall and entrust it with the topic.
Such a caretaker for cycling is one of the prerequisites for qualification.
As soon as the post is filled, one can “start working on the content”.
The “Climate and Transport” working group of the city council also plays a role in this. At its first meeting with its new composition in September, it set itself the goal of motivating the population, reducing individual traffic and ensuring bike-friendliness.
When the city council decided to apply for the AGFK seal last year, some members of the General German Bicycle Club (ADFC) from Geretsried were also present.
They acknowledged the move with applause.
In the meantime, the city council has cut a bicycle repair station suggested by the ADFC for 25,000 euros from the budget for cost reasons - much to the displeasure of the bicycle club.
The ADFC sees room for improvement in some places in the city.
On a focal point bike tour with our newspaper, they drew attention to the entrance to the B11 in the north of the city, where the bike path crosses the Blumenstrasse.
The stakeholders also criticize the intersection of the Isar cycle path with the state road 2369 on Breslauer Weg as confusing.
Membership in the AGFK does not mean that something can be improved in these areas for cyclists in the next few years.
On the way to becoming a “bicycle-friendly municipality”, there will first be a tour of the urban area by an independent commission.
It gives the municipality "feedback on the status of bicycle-friendliness and appropriate recommendations for action," it says on the AGFK website.
Within four years, the city must then meet the acceptance criteria of the working group.
If this succeeds, representatives of the Free State award the title “bicycle-friendly municipality”.
Recertification is necessary after seven years.
The certificate does not mean that all tasks have been completed, stressed managing director Sarah Guttenberger a year ago: "The process goes on forever."
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