Transport senator - Tjarks: Safety for cyclists must be improved
Significantly more cyclists lost their lives in Hamburg in 2023 than in previous years. Transport Senator Anjes Tjarks therefore wants to further improve safety for cyclists. The Green politician told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur that the existing programs would be consistently continued. For example, a cycle path network must be built in which cycle paths do not stop and are more separated from the road. According to his office, over 60 percent of newly built or renovated cycle paths were structurally separated from car traffic in 2022. Tjarks also said: "We will not be planning any new cycle lanes in the middle of the road."
According to the police, nine cyclists died in accidents in Hamburg last year up to mid-December. In the previous three years, there were three each, according to the Northern Statistics Office. "This development naturally worries us greatly and is also upsetting," said Tjarks. "We need to learn lessons together with the Ministry of the Interior, which is in charge of road safety here."
The causes of the accidents must also be investigated. "Because there is no clarity in the sense that cycling or car traffic has changed in such a way that the picture should have changed from previous years," said Tjarks.
The city of Hamburg has already replaced its own trucks and buses with turning assistants. Unfortunately, the other owners of trucks and buses could not be forced to do so. "But that would be a very urgent appeal to the federal government and the EU," emphasized the Green politician.
According to an EU regulation, a "blind spot assistant" has been mandatory for new vehicle types since 2022 and for all newly registered trucks and buses over 3.5 tons from mid-2024. There is no obligation to retrofit older vehicles.
The Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club(ADFC) Hamburg is also calling for mandatory assistance systems for all heavy goods vehicles. In its view, fatal turning accidents could be avoided in many cases by separating the different types of traffic using safe infrastructure, but also by appropriate traffic light controls.
According to the police, five of the nine cyclists killed in 2023 were killed because they were hit by turning trucks or a turning bus or car. "Turning accidents are not only the classic cyclist accident in Hamburg, but in all cities," said Siegfried Brockmann, head of accident research at the insurance company. However, entering and exiting properties, such as petrol stations or supermarkets, as well as suddenly opening vehicle doors are also frequent causes of cycling accidents.
The ADFC criticized the fact that road safety is still a low priority in Hamburg. Transport Senator Tjarks emphasized: "We are already doing a lot. I believe that there is currently no other German city that is doing so much for cycling." Nevertheless, it must be noted that far too many people were killed in cycling accidents in 2023. "At this point, you always have to ask yourself what can actually be done better?"
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- Transport Senator Tjarks highlighted the need for continued efforts by the Statistical Office for Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, as well as the EU, to investigate the causes of the increase in cycling accidents in Hamburg.
- The German Press Agency reported that the ADFC in Hamburg is advocating for mandatory assistance systems for all heavy goods vehicles to prevent accidents in bicycle traffic.
- According to the ADFC, turning accidents are not the only cause of cycling accidents in Hamburg, with entering and exiting properties, as well as suddenly opening vehicle doors, also being frequent causes.
- In response to the rising number of cycling accidents in Hamburg, Senator Tjarks stated that the city is currently doing a lot to improve safety for cyclists, but acknowledged that more needs to be done.
Source: www.stern.de
