Cycling is booming during the pandemic.
This harbors potential for conflict.
There are more and more arguments.
Not infrequently involved: racing cyclists.
Wolfratshausen
- “Among all cyclists,” says Robert Tanner, “those with a racing bike are the most anti-social.” Often they didn’t care about red lights, usable cycle paths or pedestrians. Tanner, who doesn't want to read his real name in the newspaper because of bad experiences, is annoyed by this behavior. The 55-year-old spends many hours of his free time on the saddle himself. He does not want to generalize his criticism. "There are certainly many sensible racing cyclists, but also many who ride recklessly." And that in turn casts a bad image on everyone else.
A sunny Sunday in spring, two scenes: Coming from the direction of Egling, a group of four on their racing machines with the ultra-narrow tires are heating up in the direction of Puppling - on the state road, mind you.
They punish the parallel cycle path with disregard.
The cars are jammed behind the quartet.
Overtaking is impossible with the legally required minimum distance of two meters on the confusing route due to oncoming traffic.
The behavior of the athletes does not comply with the road traffic regulations: "If there is a signposted cycle path, cyclists, including racing cyclists, have to use it," says Tony Lechner, traffic expert for the Wolfratshausen police.
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Tony Lechner, traffic expert for the Wolfratshausen police
© Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss
"Tatort" number two: the shore of Lake Starnberg in Ambach.
Colorfully troubled cyclists shoot at breakneck speed along the Seestrasse, often abusing walkers as slalom poles (we reported).
According to local resident Oliver Bendixen, Seestrasse has been degenerating into a “training track for racing bike and mountain bike groups”, especially since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Many bikers "had their brains slipped into their calves".
Due to the corona pandemic, cycling has increased significantly.
Tony Lechner
Basically, it can be observed that “cycling has increased significantly due to the corona pandemic,” says Tony Lechner. More people would use their bicycles for leisure activities and to cope with daily commutes. “That is very positive”, but it has a negative impact on the number of accidents - for example in the Egling community. Here, however, the statistics make no difference between the types of bike, they include racing machines as well as mountain bikes and pedelecs. In the previous year there were 18 accidents (2019: 7) involving cyclists, five of them in the Pupplinger Au hotspot. One man died and 19 people were injured (2019: 8).
A look at the causes of the accidents is also interesting, says Lechner's colleague, youth traffic educator Hans-Peter Eidenschink: In seven accidents, the cyclist fell without outside interference. There were three crashes between the bike and the car. "In three accidents, cyclists collided with each other and in two accidents there was a collision with a pedestrian." An animal was the cause three times. The Wolfratshaus officials also had to deal with an "offense of aggression" involving a cyclist - it was about insulting. Speaking of aggressive: recently a racing cyclist in Gelting suddenly kicked the exterior mirror of an oncoming Fiat (we reported). The police are still looking for the Radl-Rambo.
Lechner refers to the rules that bikers have to abide by according to the Road Traffic Act (StVO). This includes, among other things, constant caution and mutual consideration, the right to drive and a special duty of care towards children and the elderly. In addition, "red lights on traffic lights and right-of-way signs also apply to cyclists". And although cyclists and pedelec drivers are not bound by the general speed limits that the StVO describes for motor vehicles: “They too have to adhere to traffic signs that regulate the speeds of all vehicles. With a 50 km / h sign, that means for cyclists: a maximum speed of 50 kilometers per hour. ”In 30 km / h zones, bikers are also allowed a maximum of 30 kilometers per hour, and only walking pace on designated play streets.The only exception is the town entrance sign: while motorists have to brake down to 50 km / h here, for cyclists it only means: A town begins here.
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Wolfgang Sacher, head of the RSC Wolfratshausen
© Archive
Tony Lechner emphasizes that there are of course a lot of good (racing) cyclists.
The police chief inspector names the athletes of the RSC Wolfratshausen as an example.
They would behave in an exemplary manner, "the cooperation with the association works extremely well".
Its chairman confirms this. "We are always in contact when we are running races," says RSC boss Wolfgang Sacher.
He emphasizes that when you go out to the club, you always follow the rules.
“We define groups that fit together so that there isn't a patchwork of patches on the road that stresses the motorists.” In addition, the RSC cyclists avoid main traffic routes: “We are primarily concerned with the communal experience, so we prefer to drive on back roads . "
Some drivers drive past us and then deliberately operate the windscreen washer system.
Wolfgang Sacher
However, Sacher admits to occasionally using the road instead of the bike path in town.
On the one hand, the shoulders and edges of the curbs are poison for narrow tires, “in addition, the triangles at the junctions are no longer what they used to be.
If cars drive out there, it is brutally dangerous for us racing cyclists. ”However, the cycle path from Wolfratshausen to Maxkron is used very well by racing cyclists, says the Penzberger,“ almost nobody rides on the road there ”.
Sacher does not deny that there are black sheep in his sport. Solo cyclists in particular, who virtually chase the fastest time of others on a certain lap in the so-called Strava Cup, do not always take the StVO exactly. "Then conflicts arise and I understand the drivers." Of course, the latter do not always behave gentlemanly: "Some drive past us and then deliberately operate the windscreen washer." Water splashed in the eyes, "and it was not so easy".