Snap, snap and the bike path is officially open to traffic. Frank Zellner (in the middle of the picture with a black jacket) with local councillors, town hall staff, planners as well as representatives of the RVO and building yard. Grants of EUR 836 600 © jepsen
It's done: After more than a year of construction, the new combined pedestrian and cycle path on the west side of Schongauer Straße between the junctions "Sulzer Straße" and "Stadelfeld" was officially opened to traffic last Friday. At the ceremony, the infrastructural importance of the project was emphasized.
Peißenberg – It is exactly 685 metres long and 3.50 metres wide, including protective strips and enclosures. It cost just over 1.2 million euros, and it is not without controversy among the population: we are talking about the new combined footpath and cycle path on Schongauer Straße in the area of the town centre. There is a lot of gossip about the project on social media. Among other things, there is talk of "nonsense", "catastrophe" or "waste of taxpayers' money". Already during the construction phase, a local freight forwarder had expressed his displeasure in the town hall. However, practice has shown that the drag curves at the narrowings of the road at the Max-Biller-Haus and at the Agip petrol station work.
At the official opening to traffic, Mayor Frank Zellner (CSU) outlined the purpose of the combined footpath and cycle path. The route would create a continuous cycle path connection from the centre of the village via Stadelfeld to the south-western districts and towards Hochreuth. "It is an important step for cycling in Peißenberg," Zellner explained: "We are promoting cycling as a sustainable and environmentally conscious alternative for people who want to use it as commuters or for other everyday journeys."
From now on, cyclists are much safer on the road
Until now, only a narrow sidewalk ran through the west side of Schongauer Straße between the Old and New Heaps. In the "Kaufland" area, the width shrank to just 1.50 meters. From a purely traffic law point of view, no cyclists would have been allowed to ride on the way. Due to the expansion and the new dedication, they are allowed to do so. However, the construction project also pursues other goals: On the one hand, the passage through the village is to be decelerated by the narrowing of the road. "We are not on just any federal highway at the gates of a city," Zellner stated. On the other hand, Schongauer Straße was visually enhanced by the redesign with tree plantings.
The quality of stay has therefore increased significantly, not only in terms of space. "Especially in the southern area of the construction project, there will be more green and less gray asphalt," says Zellner. The infrastructure for public transport has also improved. Three bus stops have been converted to make them accessible to the disabled. In addition, there are additional crossing aids via Schongauer Straße, such as at the junction with the "Bahnhofswegerl". In his speech, Zellner appealed for "mutual consideration". More mobility for pedestrians and cyclists would not mean that car traffic and commercial trips would no longer be allowed in the village. Rather, the company strives to provide a good offer for all user groups: "This means that people take care of each other and that motorized road users sometimes take their foot off the gas a bit."
1.2 million euros - most of it comes from the Free State of Bavaria
Actually, the combined footpath and cycle path as well as the conversions on Schongauer Straße were supposed to be completed a few months earlier. The construction site had also "basically gone well," said city hall employee Thomas Schamper on the sidelines of the traffic release. In the section between the two tailings piles, however, the "poor ground" had caused problems. "That's why the construction work took longer," says Schamper.
The municipal civil engineering boss knows about the criticism of the overall project: "People don't think it's so good – but I do." The costs for the municipality would also have been limited. Of the approximately 1.2 million euros in total costs, a whopping 838,600 euros will be financed by state funds. "If we hadn't taken the funding," says Schamper, "it would have gone somewhere else."