Bicycle-friendly community: Waakirchen is on course for the seal of approval - successful pre-travel

Created: 10/28/2022, 5:00 p.m

By: Christina Jachert-Maier

Riding a bike should become more comfortable in Waakirchen.

The list of measures includes improving the parking facilities.

The old bicycle stand at the town hall, like many others, no longer meets the requirements, as the bicycle traffic officer Anna Heinzlmeier and Mayor Norbert Kerkel are aware.

© Thomas Plettenberg

Waakirchen wants to become a bicycle-friendly municipality - and is well on the way there.

The so-called pre-travel brought a positive result.

Waakirchen

– The view from the outside is important, says Waakirchen Mayor Norbert Kerkel.

The bike stand near the town hall, for example, which the mayor and his team have been familiar with for a long time, caught the eyes of the cycling experts from abroad during the so-called pre-travel.

As reported, Waakirchen is applying for admission to the Association of Cycle-Friendly Municipalities (AGFK).

There was recently an on-site appointment with a presentation in the meeting room and a bike tour through the community.

Even if the age-old bicycle stand in front of the town hall made it clear that there was a need to catch up: Overall, the municipality was convincing with its efforts to promote bicycle traffic on its corridor.

At the end of the day, Waakirchen was provisionally accepted into the AGFK.

This will be officially confirmed to the municipality at a meeting in January, reports Kerkel.

Action plan is created

The provisional admission to the AGFK is only the first step.

As a conclusion of the pre-trip, i.e. the inventory, a catalog of measures is drawn up to improve the situation of cyclists on site.

The municipality has four years to implement it.

This is checked during the main tour, which decides on the final admission to the AGFK and the coveted seal of quality "bicycle-friendly community".

Extensive preparatory work

Mayor Kerkel is happy about the success of the pre-trip.

"We now know that we are on the right track." Even the preparation of the appointment had required some effort.

City Hall employee Anna Heinzlmeier worked through a long catalog of questions as the cycling officer, created a presentation and worked out a meaningful route for the bike tour through the community.

Kerkel himself jumped on his bike like representatives of the AGFK, the cycling association ADFC, the police and the authorities to explore weak points and danger points.

From the town hall we went, among other things, to the construction site for the new cycle path between Waakirchen and Reichersbeuern, to the new commercial area on Brunnenweg, to the Schaftlach train station, to the cemetery, to the school and to the kindergarten.

Bike parking facilities need improvement

How many points the Waakirchner catalog of measures to improve cycling will include is still open.

There is no question that the municipality must increase the quality and the number of bicycle parking facilities.

"We also have to do something with the signage," says Kerkel.

So far, it has not been noticed that there is no information for cyclists about where to go to the train station.

"The Schaftlacher know where the train station is." The on-site visit with external experts was very helpful, says Kerkel: "A successful story."

Meanwhile, the construction of cycle paths in Waakirchen is progressing well.

In 2020, a new footpath and cycle path was created between Schaftlach and Point, and the cycle path to Reichersbeuern is currently being built.

Cycle paths to the Kray sports facility and between Schaflach and Piesenkam are to be implemented quickly.