Parents fear for their children's lives - fierce discussion about the speed limit in Hahnenbühel

Created: 05/22/2022, 08:00

By: Magnus Reitinger

The residents of the street “Am Hahnenbühel” agree that 60 km/h is far too fast here.

Hoping for more controls, but also skepticism © Gronau

"We increasingly see the lives of our children being threatened." With these words, residents of Hahnenbühel are demanding speed limits and other measures for more road safety in their settlement.

The city hall emphasizes that the concerns are taken “very seriously”.

But a remedy doesn't seem to be that easy.

Weilheim

– A few weeks ago, residents of the street “Am Hahnenbühel” handed over a whole “catalogue of demands” to Manuel Neulinger (Greens), the transport officer of the Weilheim city council, signed by around 60 affected people, i.e. “the majority” of those living there, such as Neulinger says.

It is pleased to note that "many children" now live in this splinter settlement southwest of Tankentrain.

But the parents, according to the letter, find it difficult to let their children walk to the school bus on their own, because the way there is "not safe".

Adults are also afraid on the streets there: "Every day we feel 'run over' by speeding cars when we move as pedestrians or cyclists on the streets of 'Am Hahnenbühel'." The permissible maximum speed of 60 km/h was set too high.

Tempo 30 identifications and signs pointing to children were missing.

In general, an "extremely large number" of non-residents would use this road with their motor vehicles, which is actually only open to residents - and often far too quickly.

Demand resulted in an application

The demands of the residents resulted in Neulinger, as a traffic officer, in an application that has now been discussed in the traffic committee of the city council.

In it he asks for six specific measures: to identify the municipal road “Am Hahnenbühel” from the state road to the Weilheim town limits as a 30 km/h zone;

to make the street branches that lead into the continuous part of the street "Am Hahnenbühel" to "traffic-calmed areas";

for example, to ensure with increased controls that the street "Am Hahnenbühel" is not used illegally as a passage for non-residents (in particular from and to Paterzell);

to put up danger signs on the street “Am Hahnenbühel” that point out children;

working with the responsible authorities to take suitable measures to ensure more safety on the way to school at the junction of the “Am Hahnenbühel” road and the state road near Tankenrain – such as a speed limit of 70 km/h and a ban on overtaking in this area;

set up a traffic mirror at this intersection - for better visibility to and from the cycle path along the state road.

Proposals are contrary to regulations

However, many of these proposals conflict with relevant regulations, as the Transport Committee made clear.

For example, the "Am Hahnenbühel" street should not be consistently designated as a 30 km/h zone, explained the Head of the Public Order Office, Walter Weber, because this is "a wide street of around two kilometers in length" that is used for the overall development of the Hahnenbühel.

Nevertheless, due to the "high volume of traffic", the small width of the roadway without hard shoulders, footpaths and cycle paths and the high speed of many cars, there is a clear "need for action", as Weber emphasized.

It should be checked whether a speed limit of 30 km/h is possible at certain points.

However, there is no legal basis for "traffic-calmed areas", as they are known in town, throughout Hahnenbühel.

Police should check more often

According to the head of the public order office, the police will be encouraged to intensify traffic controls on the “Am Hahnenbühel” street.

But he is skeptical that this will actually lead to less car traffic.

There is simply "high local traffic", the road also leads to Gut Moosmühle with a kindergarten, farm shop and equestrian center.

Applicant Neulinger, despite all the objections, campaigned strongly for improvements in terms of road safety.

Likewise SPD representative Horst Martin: On the street “Am Hahnenbühel” it needs “a speed limit of 30 along the entire length, we have to pull out all the stops”.

And Martin is "baffled" as to why the speed limit on the main road before the junction hasn't been 70 for a long time.

After all, there is also such a speed limit in the region “in less dangerous places”.

Test order for Tempo 30

The traffic problem in the Hahnenbühel area is "obvious", summarized the second mayor Angelika Flock (CSU) as the chair of the meeting.

Now it is time to look for possible solutions, "but within the legal framework".

For the time being, the traffic committee has only specifically decided to install a traffic mirror at the junction "Am Hahnenbühel" with the state road.

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At the same time, the unanimous decision issued a whole bundle of orders to the city administration: They should check whether Tempo 30 can be ordered on the street “Am Hahnenbühel” and Tempo 70 on the state road in front of the local bus stop.

The latter is of course a matter for the district office and the state building authority - as well as a crossing aid, which is considered necessary there so that the bus stop on the other side of the street can be reached safely.

It should also be checked where on the street "Am Hahnenbühel" danger signs such as "Attention children" or "School way" are possible and whether the section towards Paterzell could only be released for agricultural traffic instead of residents.

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