Cycling association defends city cleaning and appeals to politicians

Traffic - Cycling association defends city cleaning and appeals to politicians

Hamburg calls itself a cycling city, but many cyclists are slowed down by snow and ice. The city's cleaning service does grit selected cycle paths, but according to the General German Cyclists' Club (ADFC) Hamburg, this is not enough.

Most cycle paths are not cleared or are no longer sufficiently cleared after further snowfall, Hamburg ADFC spokesman Dirk Lau told the German Press Agency on Tuesday. He emphasized that the city's cleaning department does not do a bad job, but always gets a beating. It simply has too few people and too few vehicles for these peak times. Politicians would have to think about something. Funds or short-term capacity would have to be increased. Lau said that he had ridden on a four-lane road in the morning, which had been free, and that he had only been able to ride on the cycle path with great caution.

On its website, the City of Hamburg explains that in order to make cycling possible for the most part in winter, the city's cleaning service carries out a winter service on a selected, interconnected network of cycle paths. The new interconnected winter service network therefore largely runs along cycle routes and is based on important main traffic routes with high volumes of cycle traffic. All cycle paths would be worked on at the same time to enable use at peak commuter times.

City of Hamburg on cycle paths in winter ADFC tips for cycling in winter

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1. Despite Hamburg's reputation as a cycling city, many cyclists face challenges due to snow and ice, impeding their speed on thecycle paths.
2. The German Press Agency reported that the Hamburg ADFC spokesperson, Dirk Lau, criticized the city's cleaning service, stating that although it does an adequate job, it lacks the resources to effectively clear cycle paths during heavy snowfall.
3. Lau suggested that politicians should consider increasing funds or short-term capacity for the city's cleaning department to better address this issue and ensure the safety of cyclists using the cycle paths, especially during peak commuting hours.
4. Despite the city's efforts to maintain cleared cycle paths during winter with its winter service on a selected network of interconnected cycle routes, cyclists might still encounter icy patches, and the ADFC recommends extra caution when cycling on these paths in winter.
5. The issue of traffic and cycling safety in winter, particularly with regards to city cleaning and the maintenance of cycle paths, has gained attention, as demonstrated by the initiative launched by parliamentary groups regarding the "G10 Commission."

Source: www.stern.de