Last week there were three accidents at the Indersdorfer Gabel.
A total of ten people were injured - a new, sad record.
But why does it crash so often here?
District
- Bischofsmützen, speed limit, warning signs: none of these measures were crowned with resounding success.
The intersection of State Road 2047 and State Road 2050, called the Indersdorfer Gabel, has been one of the main accident hubs in the district in the police accident record for many years.
This year, five people were seriously injured and 26 were slightly injured in 26 accidents.
In the past week alone there was a crash every other day: on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Indersdorfer Gabel: Main accident hub in the Dachau district
Two different courses of accident can be observed: On the one hand, left-turners from Stetten, who want to head in the direction of Assenhauser Berg, collide with oncoming vehicles. On the other hand, left-turners from Indersdorf collide with vehicles on State Road 2047. On the one hand, the problem is of course "the steadily growing traffic pressure, which has a significant impact on the development of accidents at the intersection," says Andreas Knorr, Head of Traffic at the Dachau Police Department.
Lately, the situation has worsened due to a diversion: Due to the construction of a new water line in Rumeltshausen, traffic has been diverted via the Assenhausener Berg since mid-July, which means that there are more and more left-turns from the direction of Stetten at the intersection.
And the three accidents last week were clashes between drivers from Stetten who wanted to turn left and collided with oncoming vehicles from Dachau.
Many accidents at the Indersdorfer Gabel: authorities are looking for explanations
At first glance, it's hard to understand why the intersection crashes so often. The view is good, there are left-turn lanes, a right-turn lane, optically separated by Bischofsmützen, no cyclists thanks to the underpass and own bike path. Last Monday, the accident commission, consisting of the traffic authority district office Dachau, state building authority Freising and police Dachau, observed the traffic situation again during a site inspection.
According to Patrik Reiner, Head of Dachau / Fürstenfeldbruck at the Freising State Building Authority, left-turners from Stetten in the direction of Assenhauser Berg are unsafe.
"Apparently, many of them do not know that they have right of way over those turning right and feel their way in," says Reiner.
In addition, there is the excessive speed of oncoming traffic.
Basically, therefore, driving errors are the cause of the accidents.
Knorr confirms the observation.
Therefore, a change in the signage is planned for another on-site visit tomorrow, Friday, in order to clarify the right-of-way situation for the left-turning coming from Stetten, compared to the right-turning coming from Dachau.
Accident mystery in Dachau: police take immediate action
The police are taking further immediate measures: "The full closure in Rumeltshausen will be lifted," said Knorr.
Starting today, Thursday in Rumeltshausen, traffic coming from Stetten will be directed through the construction site area with a traffic light, single-lane.
The traffic from Niederroth will continue to be handled via the existing diversion.
In addition, the police want to carry out more speed measurements.
“Speed is still a problem,” says Knorr.
The speed on the 2047 has been reduced bit by bit over the past few years, to 60 km / h now, "but in principle a bullet hole is possible, there are no obstacles to Stetten," says Knorr.
With these immediate measures, the authorities hope to prevent the accidents of left-turners from Stetten in the direction of Assenhauser Berg.
But then there are still the collisions of the left-turners in the direction of Dachau - “and those are massive, serious accidents,” says Knorr: The vehicles on the priority road 2053 in the direction of Stetten drive head-on into the driver's side of the cars turning.
Accidents at Indersdorfer Gabel: Police demand - "Crossroads must be rebuilt"
It is therefore clear: “The intersection must be rebuilt,” says Knorr.
He doesn't want to commit himself to a roundabout or a traffic light.
The traffic expert is waiting for a report commissioned by the Freising State Building Authority.
The results should be available in autumn, possibly at the end of October, says Patrik Reiner.
Due to the corona, it was difficult to create a reliable report earlier.
“The traffic flows were different, we would have made a wrong analysis.” The engineering office commissioned counted the traffic for 24 hours on Tuesday, July 13th.
A video camera recorded the traffic from all directions, including turning maneuvers.
The all-important question is: “How can you expand the hub so that it remains efficient?” Says Reiner.
No matter what comes out, whether roundabout or traffic light: "We will implement what the traffic expert suggests."
You can read more news from the Dachau region here.
Open letter from an accident witness
Katia Meyer-Tien from Röhrmoos witnessed the accident at the Indersdorfer Gabel on Saturday, in which four people were injured. In an open letter, she addresses the transport policy decision-makers for the Dachau district.
“Last Saturday I was an accident witness. I had to watch up close how a little boy, himself slightly injured, could have lost his mother. How a seriously injured young woman was taken to the hospital by rescue helicopter. I saw a lady struggling for words, trying in vain to explain why she turned left, even though the young mother's car was coming towards her. I saw how the fire brigade and police, emergency doctor, paramedics and crisis intervention team secured the scene of the accident, rerouted the traffic and cared for the injured and witnesses who were in shock in a sensitive and highly professional manner. Including many volunteers who spent their Saturday afternoons here. And some of whom remarked resignedlythat within a week they were in action for the third time at exactly this intersection.
I slept very little and very badly that night. So I read a lot. Accident reports, newspaper articles. Over the intersection of state roads 2050 and 2047. A “hot spot for accidents” is the intersection, it says soberly. Münchner Merkur cited police statistics last November that had counted 43 accidents in the five previous years. Quite a few have joined since then. A motorcyclist has already lost his life here and more than 50 people have been injured, some of them seriously. The accident reports are similar: Drivers from Schwabhausen turn left in the direction of Markt Indersdorf and overlook oncoming traffic. Or drivers from the direction of Markt Indersdorf misjudge themselves when turning left in the direction of Dachau and thus collide with other road users.
I never want to experience something like this again.
And ask you very much: do everything in your power to make this intersection safer!
To ensure that a traffic light is built here as quickly as possible.
So many people would have been spared so much suffering had they already existed.
Thank you."
