The new pedestrian crossing on Summerstraße protrudes into the bicycle street, but is too difficult to see in the opinion of some road users. © Photographer: Andrea Jaksch
A lot is being done for cyclists to ensure that they have equal rights in urban road traffic. But also protective strips and bicycle roads help Herrsching in the biennial bicycle climate test only slightly above the grade 4.
Herrsching – Around 10,245 cyclists took part in the 000th edition of the ADFC bicycle climate test, 15,000 more than in 2020. A trend that cannot be seen in Herrsching. On the contrary. There must be 50 participants in a municipality in order for the cycling climate test to be evaluated for them. In 2020, there were still 74 cyclists who took part in the evaluation for Herrsching. In the most recent call, there were only 60. However, the ADFC local group is no longer active, which could have mobilized one or the other participant. The overall score for the Ammersee community, on the other hand, has remained almost the same: 3.96. Most recently, it was a 4.4 – both only sufficient. Despite the protective strip and bicycle road.
Max Kellner had co-founded the local group of the ADFC in Herrsching six years ago and had coordinated the city cycling. Currently, there is no spokesman in Herrsching, regrets ADFC district chief Anton Maier. Kellner, who coaches the cycling department of TSV Hechendorf, still keeps a close eye on the situation. Not least because he lives on the new bicycle road in Herrsching, which leads from Summerstraße via Seestraße and Rudolf-Hanauerstraße to Madeleine-Ruoff-Straße. Kellner misses more advertising in the implementation. "It would have been nice to instruct motorists and cyclists. Also with regard to the bus drivers," says Kellner. This is because the public bus runs along Summerstraße via Seestraße to the train station and vice versa. It is not uncommon for cyclists to pass very close – although the road is primarily reserved for cycling.
The municipality of Herrsching distributed flyers at this year's citizens' meetings explaining the rules for bicycle lanes and advertising them. "That's what I would have liked. But it wasn't advertising," says Kellner. The notice for motorists that they are allowed to overtake cyclists there is not advertising, but has the opposite effect, says Kellner. This is because motorists must also maintain a minimum distance of 1.50 metres there. This is only possible if cyclists are pushed to the side. And the circle that points out the special use at the beginning of the bicycle road "is easy to overlook". The rating of 3.96 is therefore fair from his point of view. "Communication" is in need of improvement.
The fact that the signage needs to be readjusted is also the opinion of Green Party councillor Gerd Mulert, a frequent cyclist. He also took part in the evaluation, "but I think I gave better grades". The bicycle road is still a temporary solution and must continue to be signposted. For example, at the pedestrian crossing on Summerstraße. It needs to be better identified. The fact that the bed has not yet been planted annoys him. "This is the very first place I plant so that you can see it." Protective strips, bicycle lanes – for Mulert, all this is nevertheless a huge step forward. "No one has ever honked at me on the bike lane," he says. Other participants in the test would have criticized this. What he personally lacks, for two years now, are so-called shark teeth on the Seestraße down towards the lake, before the junction with the road Zum Landungssteg. Mulert has his office there and can well observe that the right-before-left rule that applies there is often not adhered to because it is not pointed out. "It annoys me every day," he says. The same applies to the signposting of the path around the Ammersee via Rausch. "That's still not clear enough." Many cyclists end up at the end of the village in the direction of Breitbrunn on the busy state road, which has no cycle path. Overall, however, Mulert says: "We are in a good position." What Mulert and Kellner would like to see is better control of the parkers on the protective strips.
