Should the municipal coat of arms be widely posted on all streets of Waterstetten? Will pedestrian traffic lights have to play music in the future? And wouldn’t public buses be much more comfortable if there was a carpet inside? What all these proposals have in common is that they have something to do with transportation, but nothing to do with sensible transportation policy. So far no one has asked for these things either, but that may be because there is no funding for them. Because subsidies could soon result in a transportation project in the larger community that is not only useless, but harmful on several levels.
We are talking about a high-speed bicycle track along the railway. This is not to be confused with express bike lanes, which are a very sensible transportation project for bike commuters. The fast bike lane, on the other hand, is more of a placebo because fast bike lanes aren’t being developed as fast as they should be. The idea is to update the existing paths next to the railway lines in such a way that they become interesting for cyclists. There is funding for this from the Free State, presumably in the hope that we can do without some real and very expensive cycle lanes if only enough lanes are widened.
The one in Waterstetten is more of a track in the best sense; unpaved and narrow, with bushes and overgrown trees. In an increasingly dense and gated community, the surrounding area is one of the last great retreats for insects and birds that can no longer find a home in the neat and often gravelled gardens. It may end soon. instead, there will be an asphalt surface several meters wide for the road sweeper to pass in the summer and the snow plow in the winter. Of course, street lamps are a must, despite all the complaints that light pollution should be reduced.
It is doubtful that this will improve the situation for cyclists, but not that it will make it worse for pedestrians. Because until now the Bahn-Wegerl, as traffic planners call it, has been “common space” in the best sense of the word; as it is, the road forces road users to be careful. Studies also show that this is usually not the case on well-developed, well-lit and straight roads. It remains to be seen whether the fast bike lane can actually be opened to pedestrians. Likewise, will cyclists benefit from it even more? Because these, on which studies have often been presented to the municipality, would like more bike lanes, but along the existing streets of the village. On the other hand, there could be a lack of money if the expressway was built on the railway, because the municipality, despite the subsidy, would have to pay a certain amount.
Thus, it remains an environmentally questionable project with questionable impact on road safety and negative implications for the construction of bike lanes in the municipality. However, it is unlikely that it will be implemented, after all, there is funding.