Fewer stairs, wider paths: This is how Taufkirchen should become barrier-free
Created: 01/17/2022, 11:00 am
By: Doris Richter
Orientation aids are only available on the platform itself. Otherwise there is a lot to do in the area around the S-Bahn station to improve accessibility.
© Luca Zug
As few obstacles as possible for all citizens and as much guidance as necessary - with this claim, the municipality commissioned a concept for accessibility in 2020.
The concept is now available.
Taufkirchen
- After an initial interim assessment in October 2020, talks with the community and workshops with citizens and employees of the Social City Taufkirchen project, the Raab+Kurz office now presented the final result, which should initially be about the district by the forest.
The results were not tangible enough for some municipal councillors.
They were shocked by the estimated costs.
18 million euros
The office estimates around 18 million euros for the implementation. Whereby the biggest sticking point, namely the S-Bahn station, where there is most to do, has not yet been taken into account. The more than 100 pages that make up the office's final report make it clear why: there is a lot to be done on the way to real accessibility. However, Andreas Raab and Daniela Koller from the Raab+Kurz office emphasized that this is worthwhile for all users of public space. Because it's not just about people in wheelchairs, with impairments of sight or hearing, but also about those who are temporarily restricted, for example by a stroller or because they are dependent on crutches. In addition, the topic is becoming important in view of an aging society. "It's not critical to lower every curb,"clarified Daniela Koller. Above all, it is about good local networking, about finding out main routes and key points - such as the S-Bahn station - and also looking at important cross-connections. There are no standard solutions. "You have to look at every job to see what is necessary and possible."
Many ways too narrow
Often there is a problem with the pavement of streets and sidewalks.
If the joints in the pavement are too large, there are cracks in the sidewalk or there is no solid subsurface at all.
In the case of sidewalks, you can only speak of accessibility from a width of 1.80 meters, 2.50 meters is optimal - values that in many places in Taufkirchen can only be dreamed of.
There was also criticism of sidewalks that are also open to cyclists, such as in the Lindenring, Ahornring, in the Waldstraße, in the Oberhachinger Weg and on the main path in the Park am Wald.
Some paths are too steep.
Stairs and unsuitable ramps, such as those at the eastern entrance to the Eschenpassage, are a hindrance.
Optical and tactile markings are particularly lacking at the bus stops to the east and west of the S-Bahn.
underpass too narrow
The underpass under the S-Bahn station is too steep, too dark and too cramped in many places.
There is also a lot to do at the street crossings, with or without zebra crossings.
As a rule, the position of the lowering, the inclination and the board height are not correctly designed.
There are no visual or tactile indications of any crossing.
The central islands, if any, are too narrow in most cases.
Lots of suggestions
The concept shows in detail how the municipality could improve the situation.
From small measures such as information signs, to improved access to public facilities, to the conversion of crossings and bus stops and an additional crossing over the railway tracks.
In view of the costs, not only FW local councilor Richard Schmidhammer asked himself: "Where could we start, what needs to be done most urgently?" queue up anyway to fall back on the modular system.
One of the most important areas is definitely the area around the train station.
"The area there is being planned anyway," said Mayor Ullrich Sander.
Peter Hofbauer (FW) noted that a lot of planning was going on at the same time and they had to be coordinated.
However, Sander considers the accessibility concept to be important: "We now have a catalog of measures that can be applied anywhere."
