Controversial plans for the Peitnach Bridge: Results of the Bachfeld survey presented

Created: 11/24/2022, 4:00 p.m

By: Christopher Peters

The majority of Bachfeld people are critical of the plans for a bridge between Peitnachstrasse and Tannheimer Strasse, as the result of the survey shows.

© Ingevost

Does it make sense to build another bridge over the Peitnach or not?

Since the beginning of the year, this question has been the subject of heated debates in the town.

On Tuesday, the results of the mobility behavior survey were presented to the municipal council.

Peiting – Before the session could begin, chairs for the spectators had to be carried in the Schloßberghalle.

Of course, the great interest was not surprising, after all, not only the citizens' application for the asylum situation on Seestrasse was on the agenda.

Many of the more than 100 visitors also came to find out how the controversial Peitnach Bridge will continue.

However, anyone who had hoped that the municipal council would show its colors that evening had to be disappointed by Mayor Peter Ostenrieder.

A decision on the construction of the bridge will not be made until the beginning of 2023, today it is only about the presentation of the mobility behavior analysis, the head of the town hall sent in advance, before handing over the floor to the planner Christian Fahnberg.

Its traffic office Ingevost conducted a household survey in Bachfeld in July with the aim of gaining insight into the effects of a bridge between Peitnachstrasse and Tannheimer Strasse on traffic.

Almost half of the more than 400 households were written to, reported Fahnberg.

Of the 413 people questioned, 310 responded, which corresponds to a third of the residents of the Bachfeld.

"That's a very, very good value."

The bridge would relieve Meierstrasse

On the one hand, the respondents were asked to provide information about the distances they covered on a specified date.

In 18 percent of the cases, the targets were in the adjacent residential area east of the Peitnach on Wankstrasse and in the commercial area on Ammergauer Strasse.

A further almost ten percent of the routes were to be found in the municipal area further to the east, south of the railway line.

While in the Wanksiedlung only 30 percent of the journeys are made by car, in the case of the commercial area it is exactly the opposite, explained the planner.

According to the expert, the proportion of drivers traveling to Peiting-Ost is even greater at 85 percent.

From Fahnberg's point of view, the result was particularly interesting with regard to a possible new bridge construction.

Assuming that the majority of motorists choose Meierstrasse as the shortest route to the areas in question, an alternative connection from Bachfeld to Ammergauer Strasse would save around 450 car journeys in the town centre.

The planner put the relief for Meierstraße at a remarkable 20 percent.

A number that Herbert Salzmann (SPD) doubted - rightly so, as was to be shown the following day (see box).

Fahnberg emphasized that the shorter distance also meant that 1,500 kilometers less would have to be covered by car per day

20 percent relief a "calculation error" 

It sounded quite remarkable: Planner Christian Fahnberg estimated a possible traffic relief for Meierstraße at 20 percent if the Peitnach Bridge were to be built.

But is that true?

Herbert Salzmann had great doubts about this at the municipal council meeting.

He came to a different conclusion, said the SPD faction leader.

If you put the number of 5,350 vehicles per day determined during the 2019 traffic measurement in relation to the 450 trips that would be eliminated by a bridge, this is a relief of eight percent, Salzmann calculated.

But Fahnberg referred to more recent measurements, he suspected that the number of vehicles on Meierstraße might have fallen, which Salzmann found implausible.

However, because Fahnberg did not have the data ready, it was not possible to determine who was right.

It wasn't until the day after the meeting that it turned out that Fahnberg was at fault.

Mayor Peter Ostenrieder told the local newspaper that he miscalculated.

The correct value is actually between eight and ten percent, because the most recent measurement counted more than 5,000 vehicles on Meierstrasse.

However, the survey also confirmed what had already become apparent through the protests of residents in the past few months.

The majority rated the plans for any kind of bridge negatively.

"The residents don't want them."

On the other hand, Fahnberg was surprised by the result that car drivers, pedestrians and cyclists were equally satisfied with the current traffic situation.

"That's quite a compliment to the community," he noted.

Expert sees noise pollution for residents as a problem

The conclusion of the expert: From a traffic point of view, building a bridge makes perfect sense, especially since not only would Meierstrasse be relieved, but also some people would be more likely to switch to bicycles due to the shorter connection, said Fahnberg.

Due to the location, non-neighborhood traffic is not to be expected.

However, the noise pollution for the residents would probably increase significantly.

"That definitely needs to be examined carefully." The same applies to the expected costs for the project.

Fahnberg also made it clear that a bridge only makes sense if the connection to Ammergauer Straße is created at the same time.

"Otherwise it's not worth building."