Greens and ADFC in the district are currently promoting the Bavarian Radentscheid.
Together with the state chairman of the Greens, they showed yesterday in Gauting where they hope a cycling law will improve things.
Gauting – Anton Maier has to hurry, has to speak quickly.
The district chairman of the General German Bicycle Club (ADFC) only has a few minutes for introductory words before the small group of cyclists sets off from the Gauting train station.
He has so many things burning on his nails that could be improved in terms of cycling in Gauting and in the Starnberg district.
Maier can put forward his arguments in a routine and swift manner, they are well known: bicycle traffic was neglected in the redesign of Bahnhofplatz and Bahnhofstrasse.
In one direction, only a "meaty protective strip was created that drivers constantly run over," complains Maier.
He also misses a parking area for cyclists at the junction with Ammerseestraße.
He is still annoyed that the diversion for bicycle traffic during the construction site at the old school required cyclists to detour a good one kilometer.
In the Pippin underpass, cyclists are "pressed to the sidelines" and in the plans for the Königswiesen underpass, they are again hardly taken into account.
And then there is the issue of cycle lanes.
The extension of the connection from Munich via Planegg to Starnberg failed because the individual municipalities are responsible.
Maier lists all of this again because he hopes that a fundamental change will soon set in, namely through the Bavarian Radentscheid.
An alliance that includes the ADFC and the Greens has set itself the goal of enforcing a Bavarian cycling law through a referendum.
Their Starnberg district association had invited to the bike tour from Gauting via Reismühle to Manthal.
It is one of several campaigns in the district to promote the Radentscheid.
Thomas von Sarnowski, the state chairman of the Bavarian Greens, also came to Gauting this Tuesday to explain the goals again.
This includes considering cycling on an equal footing with car traffic in all future planning measures.
Due to the limited space in the city, this means working with speed limits and good one-way street regulations, explained von Sarnowski in Gauting.
A lot happens in some places.
"The Radentscheid in Munich was the most successful citizens' initiative there of all time.
But it's important to me that something also happens in the countryside.” When rehabilitating state roads, for example, bicycle traffic has to be given equal consideration.
Maier believes that a cycling law can create improvements, especially for long-distance routes.
It must be determined for a supra-local responsibility.
That would be in better hands with the district governments than with the municipalities, he says.
Then he, von Sarnowski and the good dozen fellow cyclists swing onto their saddles.
They now want to diligently collect signatures over the next few months so that the referendum on the Radentscheid can be approved.
25,000 people across Bavaria have to sign, then another million for a referendum to take place.