Bicycle lanes: Ministry of Transport allocates hundreds of millions for new and better bicycle lanes

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Green light for new cycle paths: federal states and municipalities receive financial aid from the federal government

Photo: Christian Charisius / dpa

For the construction of new cycle paths, the federal states and municipalities can now call up lavish federal aid: The Federal Ministry of Transport launched the “City and Country” funding program on Monday.

It provides for up to 660 million euros for better and safer cycling infrastructure by 2023, as the ministry announced.

The aim is therefore to have a network of cycle paths that is as complete and protected as possible in Germany, even between communities that are further apart.

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He wanted to "significantly improve the conditions for cyclists in the city and in the country," said Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU).

His house is giving more money than ever for the necessary infrastructure.

According to its own information, the Ministry of Transport will provide a total of almost 1.5 billion euros for cycling through various funding funds by 2023.

Municipalities should get money "quickly and unbureaucratically"

In the new program, according to Scheuer, communities in need primarily decide - in coordination with the respective federal state - on local projects.

"These can be, for example, bike path bridges or underpasses, bike-friendly crossings, bicycle parking garages or bicycle zones." The federal government then pays "quickly and unbureaucratically," promised Scheuer.

So far, complicated applications and a confusing funding landscape have repeatedly turned out to be a problem for municipalities if they wanted to apply for such grants.

The Federal Office for Goods Transport is now supposed to counteract this: According to the ministry, the office should declare any objections to the projects submitted by the states within one month.

"If it doesn't, the applications are considered approved."

The federal states should therefore "ensure an appropriate distribution of funds between urban and rural regions".

"There is now plenty of money from the federal government," said the ADFC cycling association, which praised Scheuer's support program.

"The federal government is also setting new standards in terms of quality and setting clear guidelines as to how good cycling infrastructure should actually be designed," said the deputy chairman of the ADFC, Rebecca Peters.

The association criticized, however, that according to plans by the federal government, in addition to a good 270 kilometers of separate cycle paths, 670 kilometers of so-called protective strips for cyclists should be promoted on the road.

Such markings are not bicycle-friendly, but a »relapse into outdated planning methods«.

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ene / dpa