This has never happened in the Starnberg district: in the Seefeld municipality, bus drivers can switch the traffic lights to green at the push of a button, so that they gain valuable time.
The pilot project is to be extended to other municipalities.
Seefeld
- This is what motorists dream of: of a small switch that can be used to manipulate the traffic light so that it turns green when you approach it. The bus drivers in Seefeld now have such a small device that District Administrator Stefan Frey was able to try out at yesterday's press conference. Susanne Münster, traffic manager for the district, has no doubts: "Since then there have been no more complaints because passengers can no longer get their S-Bahn."
The problem is the same in many communities in which the public transport buses are connected to the S-Bahn: the time is too short for certain routes. In Seefeld, for example, the 924 bus has twelve minutes to go from the S-Bahn station in Hechendorf over to Seefeld, through the village and back over the level crossing to Hechendorf. During yesterday's demonstration drive only one truck got in the way, but it was still close. “If you are still standing at the traffic lights, you can't do it,” says bus driver Nicola Lazzaro.
The traffic lights at Mühlbachstrasse / Staatsstrasse 2068 and the traffic lights below Seefeld Castle (Staatsstrasse 2068/2070) were technically upgraded in the spring for EUR 15,000. There are ten small transmitters for bus drivers on lines 923, 924 and 928, which are attached to the buses near the steering wheel. The drivers were specially trained and Nicola Lazzaro has never seen a moment in which the principle has not worked. About 200 meters from the traffic lights, he only needs to press, they jump to green within seconds and he rushes through with his bus. This also works when there are vehicles in front of him - they also benefit from the sudden green phase. Norbert Rudzki, operations manager of the bus company Geldhauser, is full of praise: “The system works perfectly, and the need is absolutely there.“Such a thing could only be realized so quickly and quickly in the Starnberg district. "Ms. Münster is very open." The traffic manager now has other communities in mind for the new public transport acceleration system, for example Gilching or Herrsching. “In Starnberg, however, this cannot be done quickly because of the complexity,” she adds. Usually cities would also commission expert opinions for such projects. "We thought we'd just try it out in Seefeld."“In Starnberg, however, this cannot be done quickly because of the complexity,” she adds. Usually cities would also commission expert opinions for such projects. "We thought we'd just try it out in Seefeld."“In Starnberg, however, this cannot be done quickly because of the complexity,” she adds. Usually cities would also commission expert opinions for such projects. "We thought we'd just try it out in Seefeld."
District Administrator Frey is convinced of the pilot project. "I think it's great. Now we just have to get more passengers on the buses again. ”In addition, there is a continuous S-Bahn cycle for the S 8 and also the S 6 to Tutzing and the connection to the Oberpfaffenhofen campus, which now has around 7,000 employees. The pandemic has undoubtedly caused a slump in passenger numbers. "We have to adapt the new work behavior with more home office," says Münster, but she is confident: "We are knitting on offers, measures and strategies."