As of: February 7, 2024, 6:00 p.m
By: Rafael Sala
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Press
Split
Soon three lanes?
In the planning approval process of the government of Upper Bavaria, the expansion of the B2 between Wielenbach and Pähl is supported.
The community of Wielenbach and a citizens' initiative are resisting this.
© Rafael Sala
The planned expansion of the B2 between Wielenbach and Pähl is heating up people's minds: In an open letter, the citizens' initiative Heimat 2030 opposes the construction project.
Wielenbach
- The tone is becoming more acrimonious, the opponents are moving on to the next round: In an open letter to the government of Upper Bavaria, the “Citizens' Initiative Homeland 2030” massively questions the planned three-lane expansion of the B2 between Wielenbach and Pähl.
The project with merging and turning lanes, bridges and parallel streets will result in an “immense amount of land consumption,” it says in the letter.
The expected destruction of agricultural land due to the construction of the approximately 2.45 kilometer long route is “out of all proportion to the benefit”.
Opponents fear that more roads mean more cars
Contrary to what is stated by the authorities involved, traffic safety will not be increased, can be read in the letter from Karin Knöthig and Stefan Schwaller, who also belong to the action alliance against a Weilheim bypass.
On the contrary: they are convinced that more roads lead to more cars that then use them.
Terms such as “psychological pressure to overtake” are something like a last-ditch, hardly credible attempt to give credibility to a project that is doomed to fail.
Plants, animals, agricultural land, people themselves: from the initiative's perspective, everything is at stake.
They are talking about building a roundabout and renewing the asphalt, which is completely sufficient.
Community defends itself in court
Not only is the initiative against the expansion plans, the municipality of Wielenbach also sees its interests being violated: it recently filed a lawsuit before the administrative court in Munich against the expansion plans - specifically: the first construction phase relating to the Pähl/Wielenbach route - but was unable to do so push through.
From a legal point of view, the judgment was met with understanding from Mayor Harald Mansi (WfW).
However, he was “deeply disappointed” in terms of content.
When it comes to the second construction phase, in which Wielenbach is to be connected to Unterhausen via a road, we will “certainly” see ourselves in court again, as he emphasized again.
The community believes it has good opportunities because extensive interests will then be affected.
For example, the water protection area south of the commercial area is directly within the planning scope.
Expansion can hardly be stopped
Can the opponents still stop the project?
It doesn't look like that.
The 140-page, so-called plan approval decision - a kind of official basis for decision-making, which is preceded by extensive analyzes - points out the dangers associated with the road construction project, but "due to the system", it is said, interventions in the landscape that are due to the project would of course have to take place.
“The effects are sealing of areas, combined with quantitative and qualitative losses of vegetation and wild animals as well as areas for agricultural purposes.” Overall, however, there would be no “significant impairment” for all protected assets – flora, fauna, areas.
There will be no construction in sensitive areas such as FFH habitats; only the route itself will be affected.
Traffic safety is also a given; it will not be weakened by the construction project - as presented by the initiative and the community - but will be increased.
“The three-stage expansion of the B2 between Wielenbach and Pähl is necessary due to the high traffic load.” All objections would be rejected.