Action on the Road Safety Day near the Hessian State Parliament in Wiesbaden | © Wolfgang Wrensch
Action on Road Safety Day
Press release of ADFC Hessen
A look at the accident figures of the Hessian Statistical Office makes one think: In Hesse alone, an average person dies every week on foot or by bike. It is imperative to better protect cyclists and pedestrians from accidents. Active members of the ADFC Hessen and the VCD draw attention to the fact that the traffic planners of the cities and municipalities must be given more freedom for protective measures by law. In particular, they call on the Hessian state government to abandon its blockade and finally clear the way for an improved amendment to the Road Traffic Act in the Federal Council.
In order to show why this appeal is so urgent, supporters of the demand had cycled on Thursday from the banks of the Rhine in Biebrich to the Dern’sche Gelände near the Hessian State Parliament. Bicibus Wiesbaden performed the tour. As part of an action for Tempo 30 and Vision Zero, the participants showed how the braking distance at Tempo 30 is halved compared to Tempo 50. A modern road traffic law, as the associations demand, would give municipalities the opportunity to order Tempo 30 much easier.
After the amendment to the Road Traffic Act (StVG) in November 2023 also failed because the Hessian state government refused to approve it, the ADFC calls on the black-red alliance, which has been ruling in Hesse since January, to now actively promote the adoption of the legislative amendment. The compromise reached in the conciliation committee of the Federal Council and the Bundestag on Wednesday now requires a majority in the Federal Council. The Hessian state government must now agree to this in the second attempt. Only in this way can she live up to her claim to be a partner of the Hessian municipalities.
The Alliance for Liveable Cities through Appropriate Speeds, which includes more than a thousand municipalities nationwide and more than a hundred in Hesse, also calls for more municipal freedom in the arrangement of internal speed limits with the aim of increasing the quality of residence and road safety. Likewise, the municipal umbrella associations are unanimously pushing for an amendment to the StVG. "A provincial government that has stipulated in its coalition agreement that local matters should be decided on the spot must consequently also agree to the amendment to the StVG in the Federal Council", says Ansgar Hegerfeld, Chairman of the ADFC Hessen.
“In addition to the objectives of climate protection and the promotion of urban development, road safety in the sense of Vision Zero must be enshrined in the Road Traffic Act as an overarching objective. This also requires a clear paradigm shift towards risk prevention. Measures to improve road safety, such as speed 30 or the installation of a bicycle lane, must be possible for the municipalities as a preventive measure and not only if an above-average accident can be proven by extensive investigations. Road safety must not fail due to legal or bureaucratic obstacles. A safe and comfortable cycling network for all people – including children and senior citizens – can only be created if separate cycle lanes or cycle paths can be laid out wherever speeds of more than 30 km/h are used", concludes Hegerfeld.
About ADFC Hessen
ADFC Hessen was founded in 1986 and has more than 20,000 members. The Landesverband represents the interests of cyclists in Hesse vis-à-vis the state policy, is a member of the steering committee of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Nahmobilität Hessen (AGNH) and also carries out a variety of activities: For example, the ADFC Hessen advises the state of Hesse on the direction of the Hessian long-distance cycle paths, certifies companies and municipalities as bicycle-friendly employers, supports the state project bike + business, certifies bicycle-friendly accommodation (Bett+Bike) and offers cycling courses for adults. In almost every Hessian district there is a district association, in many municipalities also local ADFC divisions. There, the active people take care of cycling issues, organize cycling tours and offer various services such as bicycle coding.
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