Seefeld's first traffic-calmed area is currently being built between the new senior citizen's quarter and the elementary school at Pilsensee in Seefeld.
In many other places, however, there is a lot of trouble for pedestrians and people with disabilities in the village.
This was shown by a recently scheduled inspection.
Seefeld
- In October 2020, Seefeld's local council decided to set up a traffic-calmed area on Anton-Ettmayr-Straße in Oberalting. At the end of the day, the sidewalks and the street should be the same height, so that all road users can act equally. “This is a showcase project,” says Mayor Klaus Kögel happily. Apart from that, however, there are endless pitfalls for pedestrians and especially for people with disabilities in the municipality of Seefeld. This is the result of an inspection with members of the building authorities, senior advisory councils, mayors, the board of directors of neighborhood help and Bärbel Seibold, founder of the “Diversity” self-help group and inclusion expert.
Much too narrow sidewalks and, above all, stairs, for example up to the school or to help the neighborhood, make life in Seefeld difficult. In the districts like Drößling and Unering there are no sidewalks at all. There is also a bus stop at Marienplatz, which is heavily frequented, but literally leaves the passengers in the rain.
"We all looked at the problem areas," says Kögel and adds, "that one inspection is not enough". Originally, Maximilian Mayer, the inclusion officer in the district office, was supposed to take part in the small procession through the community, but he was prevented from doing so. But Bärbel Seibold is also an expert in the field, she has been dealing with the topic for a long time and even had special glasses with her when visiting, which showed people with normal sight how difficult sidewalks are to master for the visually impaired.
"We are not just talking about people who are in wheelchairs," says Kögel. Even small things would help people with visual impairments: "For example, with a handrail on the stairs that, for example, shows the end through roughened material," says Kögel. The attempt with the glasses opened his eyes a bit, so to speak.
The small delegation also made its way to the train station in Hechendorf.
As reported, Bahnhofstrasse has to be extensively renovated, and Kögel already fears this major construction site.
In the aftermath, a handicapped-friendly design is also necessary there.
His realization: “There is a lot that needs to be done, some with less effort, some with less.” Especially where new things are emerging, the community must keep an eye on developments.
"For this we will also have to plan sums in the budget."
