Kochel and the motorcycle noise: community hopes for noise cameras

Created: 08/15/2022, 07:00

By: Christine Weikert

Popular route: Motorcyclists on the Kesselberg.

© Christine Weikert

Kochel – A constant problem in the municipality of Kochel: In the future, they want to fight the motorbike noise with noise cameras.

Four written inquiries were received for the most recent town hall meeting in Kochel.

One of them related to the high number of motorcyclists and the noise pollution in the two-lake community.

Kochel's Mayor Thomas Holz (CSU) had no patent solution in his pocket, since the responsibilities for the B11 do not lie with the municipality.

A new system gives hope: noise flash systems – but their use in Germany is still in the stars. 

Bruno Bredl is not a citizen of Kochl, but a landlord of holiday apartments in the "Villa Heimgarten" on the B11.

In a written request, Bredl wanted to know what measures the municipality was taking with regard to the "motorcycle columns rolling past" and the noise from motorcycles.

When he reached "V" for traffic in his statement of accounts, Mayor Thomas Holz responded to the request.

Huge burden

The conditions on sunny days, hour-long traffic jams and traffic looking for a parking space, are a huge burden, Holz knows.

More than half of the massive traffic is pure through traffic, he explained with a look at the results of a traffic census carried out in 2020.

"Without through and bypass traffic, we would have a much smaller problem," he concluded.

The main problem is that the authority for the federal road does not lie with the municipality.

With the new parking concept, the tightened control of parking offenders and easier towing, we have done “what is possible in our area”, says Holz.

In addition, they are taking part in the "Saturn" project, which aims to control traffic by displaying parking space capacities and traffic volume in navigation systems.

The issue of motorcycles and noise burdens the citizens and, in some cases, bad accidents, also the volunteers of the rescue organizations.

Unfortunately, the responsibilities lie somewhere else here too, regretted Holz.

The fact that the confiscation of motorcycles in the event of grossly illegal behavior is no longer permitted after a court decision annoys him immensely to this day.

"I'm in the ears of the competent authorities very massively that something urgently needs to be done," he assured.

The effect of the lane dividers is currently being observed in particular, and the specialist authorities should make an appointment this year.

Contact with special purpose association

“We are active when it comes to noise,” announced Holz.

This rarely comes from manipulated exhaust systems, rather the permissible limit value is "simply felt too high".

With the Zweckverband Oberland you are in contact regarding a so-called noise flasher.

The system, in which audio sensors are linked to a speed camera system, is currently being tested in France.

It is not yet clear whether something like this can also be implemented in this country, but as soon as something happens, they want to play a pioneering role together with the association, announced Holz.

Bruno Bredl was not given the right to speak when asked questions at the end of the citizens' meeting - but he was able to distribute one or two flyers from his petition "stop noise. now".