- The results of the Saxony Cycling Club are sobering
The General German Cycling Club (ADFC) in Saxony draws a disappointing conclusion regarding the cycling projects of the Saxon coalition over the past five years. The alliance of CDU, Greens, and SPD has only managed a few small steps, but the big picture is not satisfactory, the cycling club judged. "More and more people in Saxony want to cycle, but the state government is not doing enough to ensure it's safe and convenient," said ADFC chairman Janek Mücksch. Of the 18 cycling goals declared in the coalition agreement, nine have not been met, and six only partially.
According to the ADFC, Saxony is far from meeting its targets for building cycle paths outside of towns. By the end of 2025, 538 kilometers of cycle paths were planned, but by the end of 2023, only 135 had been built. "We need more qualified planners in the State Office for Road Construction and Transport," explained Mücksch. Saxony is also lagging behind in cycle tourism. The ADFC chief recommended that the new Saxon government focus on a cycle path from Dresden to Wrocław (Breslau). There are already strong efforts on the Polish side, particularly in the county of Görlitz.
ADFC: Traffic safety concept is empty
The ADFC criticizes the traffic safety concept approved by the cabinet on Tuesday as "35 pages of empty content." In 2021, 32 cyclists lost their lives on Saxon roads. According to a survey by the cycling club, 75% of Saxons feel unsafe when cycling. This is not surprising, as safe cycle paths have been lacking for decades in many places, and accident hotspots are not systematically addressed. Another criticism was the confusion of fares when taking bicycles on the trains of different transport associations. Here, uniformity was called for.
"Saxony needs just three things to enable every schoolchild to move safely on the road by bike and for commuters to integrate cycling into their daily routine: more money for cycle paths, more staff for planning, and more safety for all," summarized Mücksch. He called for spending on a modern cycling network of ten euros per inhabitant per year, totaling around 40 million euros. Currently, it's only 18 million euros, the club complained. There should be a cycle path along every Saxon state and federal road, and safe parking facilities at train stations. The municipalities need more decision-making powers to introduce 30 km/h zones.
Saxon Minister of Transport Martin Dulig (SPD) admitted on Tuesday that there were shortcomings in the implementation of the 2019 cycling concept. The truth is that planning a cycle path now takes eight years. The biggest obstacles are property issues and unnecessary investigations. So far, no agreement has been reached on simplifying planning processes. There is also a lack of staff for planning. It's not the budget that's the problem, but the planning capacity. "We are far behind expectations," said Dulig, regretting this also as an ADFC member.
The Dutch cycling association, Stichting Fietsersbond, expressed concern about the situation in Saxony, stating that they've noticed a similar lack of progress in cycle infrastructure development in their own country, specifically in terms of building safe and convenient cycle paths, as in 'The Netherlands'. The growth in cycling popularity among the Dutch population has been met with insufficient effort from their government to improve cycling safety and convenience.
Considering the ADFC's criticism of Saxony's cycling projects, it might be beneficial for political leaders in 'The Netherlands' to learn from the mistakes and successes in Saxony, in order to improve their own cycling policies and infrastructure, ultimately making cycling a safer and more appealing mode of transport for Dutch citizens.
