What can be done to prevent traffic in Peißenberg?
Astonishing results of the traffic analysis have now been presented to the municipal council - by an old acquaintance.
Peißenberg – "I'm happy to finally be back in Peißenberg," explained Professor Harald Kurzak at the beginning of his presentation to the market council: "After all, 30 years have passed.
I watched Peißenberg's problems and helped shape them.
After all, the bypass was built with my documents.” The engineer for traffic planning is one of the grandees when it comes to traffic counts.
And so Kurzak was commissioned last autumn to create an up-to-date traffic analysis for Peißenberg.
The project, which cost almost 50,000 euros, was mainly financed by the EU funding program "Centre City Enliven" (we reported).
"After all, the bypass was built with my documents"
After Kurzak had presented the results report to Mayor Frank Zellner (CSU) at the meeting, the professor presented his figures – unfortunately not always in a structured manner and therefore not always immediately understandable.
In autumn 2022, traffic counts were scheduled for 24 hours using video technology at 16 traffic junctions in the town and further data was collected at five survey points at the town exits.
One of the insights gained from this: Currently, around 13,000 vehicles per day drive through the town in the area between the Rigi Center and the town hall.
For comparison: in 1995, well before the opening of the bypass at the end of 2008, there were still just over 19,000. Depending on the section of the bypass, there are currently more than 11,000 vehicles per day on the bypass: "It's pretty strong what's out there around Peißenberg,” Kurzak analyzed.
Interesting: In a traffic census in 2012, significantly fewer vehicles drove on the bypass - in the area between the "South" and "West" junctions even more than 2000 fewer.
The acceptance of the new B 472 has improved.
The balance compared to 2012 is consequently predominantly negative on the through-town route (allocated to sections up to 2000 fewer vehicles).
Meanwhile, traffic on the mine road has increased significantly.
Compared to 2012, up to 1,600 more vehicles are driving there every day.
The reason is obvious:
The acceptance of the bypass has grown
The traffic flows within the town can be classified into three categories - namely inland traffic, destination and source traffic and through traffic.
One result of the analysis: there are just as many Peißenbergers leaving the town per day as there are foreigners.
The latter commute to work in the morning or – and this is the lion's share – they go shopping in the Rigi Center or to the supermarkets.
Kurzak calculated that compared to 1995, a whopping 60 percent more foreigners are on Peißenberg's roads, namely around 5500 vehicles per day.
In domestic traffic, however, there were no major shifts.
The main finding of the study: Pure through traffic has shrunk to a marginal value in Peißenberg.
While in 1995 almost 10,000 vehicles drove through the town on the main traffic routes without stopping, there are currently only 1,000, with roughly half going in the direction of Forst, i.e. not using the entire town thoroughfare.
"Through traffic on the main traffic routes has therefore decreased significantly," emphasized Kurzak.
The bottom line is a rate of just three percent of the total traffic.
Kurzak drew a conclusion from this: “You can hardly reduce inner-city traffic.
There is nothing that can be done.
New building areas tend to create more traffic.” According to the household survey, car-sharing does not play a role in Peißenberg.
It is also difficult to create more cycle paths on the through-road for reasons of space: “Small measures that affect safety are necessary.
Big measures are useless - and they are not good for the place either.
The through traffic is outside – and that is the important thing,” says the professor: “If you intervene too much in traffic, then people from outside will no longer come to you to shop.”
Is Peißenberg based on expertise?
The question arises as to whether Peißenberg is actually aligning its transport policy with Kurzak's expertise.
There were different opinions on this in the market council (see box).
Frank Zellner spoke of an “emotional issue”, especially with regard to cycling.
When asked by the local newspaper, the mayor explained that from his point of view Kurzak's analysis would not mean that the municipality no longer had to redesign anything on the through road: "I don't want to stop with that." The task is rather to make the main traffic axes "optimal for all users". to conceive.
But Zellner is also realistic: "In the short to medium term, we have to get used to the fact that we have local traffic that we produce ourselves."
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