Kaufbeuren - The “junction or roundabout” variants for the newly planned traffic junction “junction between Buronstrasse and Neugablonzer Strasse” were controversially discussed in the building committee.
Financeability and available land dictated the recommendation to the city council.
As a listener, one might be reminded of the saying: “You shouldn't count the chicks before they have hatched”. When the construction committee discussed the road construction project planned since 2017 at the junction between Buronstrasse and Neugablonzer Strasse, Mayor Stefan Bosse did not forget to point out the unclear ownership situation of the Moserwiese - located between Neugablonzer Strasse and the tax office - in all planning. You have rights of first refusal, but you have no predictable point in time. Originally, the idea was to continue Buronstrasse - coming from the north - towards the southeast by means of a flyover to the so-called Osttangente (we reported several times). So a development and green space plan had been drawn up since 2017,Authorities and other bodies responsible for public affairs have been heard and variants have been worked out.
In the meantime, other construction projects in the area, such as the necessary new construction of the Wertach Bridge and the Haken train station, have also been concretized. Kaufbeuren's construction consultant Helge Carl demands: "The aim should be to complete the three construction projects (new building Wertachbrücke, junction Buronstrasse and train stop Haken) in one go".
Head of Department for Urban Planning and Building Regulations, Werner Fehr, presented three variants, each of which had its own advantages and disadvantages: A roundabout does not require any traffic lights, but causes up to 70 percent additional costs and ensures a large amount of space is used, partly on unfamiliar land.
An intersection takes up less space and offers pedestrians and cyclists greater safety thanks to the traffic lights.
The solution of an overpass with a quarter-leaf clover to connect and continue over the Moserwiese was quickly rejected because of the unforeseeable ownership structure.
"No elephant toilet 2.0"
SPD councilor Catrin Riedl criticized the routing for pedestrians and cyclists through underpasses in the roundabout solution: “We don't need an elephant toilet 2.0”, alluding to the so-called roundabout solution at the confluence of Bahnhofstrasse and Hirschzellerstrasse. Ulrike Seifert from the Greens also called for the bicycle and pedestrian concept to be taken into account: “The system must run through the entire city”. Here Bosse referred to the initially schematic representation of the variants: "The concept is then incorporated into the detailed planning".
"The solution we choose must be efficient and affordable, and the flexibility for later continuations across the Moserwiese must be maintained," the mayor urged the committee.
Although numerous committee members would have liked to see the roundabout solution, the committee decided to recommend the city council to pursue the intersection solution, especially since everything would take place on urban land and thus the feasibility is ensured.
Wolfgang G. Krusche