Activists maneuver vehicles towards bike riders. - The insanely adventurous cycling route in Germany poses growing risks.
In one of Frankfurt am Main's most chaotic bike lanes, which needs 566 signs over a distance of 1100 meters to be managed, the Green Party is now setting up an unsettling chicane for drivers that could lead to fatalities.
At the intersection of one of Frankfurt's busiest roads and the new bike lane, a traffic island is being built right in the middle. This sends car traffic onto the red bike lane, the designated area for cyclists and the only access point for cyclists into the controversial new bike lane.
▶︎ Frankfurt traffic lawyer Uwe Lenhart (55) argues that the city is accountable under liability and criminal law. "It doesn't take a traffic expert to foresee that a traffic island at this point will soon become an accident hotspot. The city is violating its responsibility for road safety."
Legal documents mandate that the city must safeguard road users from dangers and guarantee the security of public traffic areas. But the exact opposite is occurring. The layout is designed to cause cyclists to collide with cars. This poses significant perils, especially when non-local drivers or delivery trucks are steered onto the bike lane.
Traffic law expert: "Criminal negligence leading to bodily harm as a result of the city of Frankfurt's actions"
Green city council member Wolfgang Siefert (54), who heads the mobility department and instructed the road redesign as head of the transportation and road construction department, may be held accountable. Siefert is a Green Party member with 10 years of experience in Frankfurt's legislature, where he pushed through green policies. His background is in business administration and he spent 20 years working for a software company.
He is inspired by environmental ideology. Siefert views traffic as being overly car-centric. Last year, he deliberately closed a road, allowing no more vehicles to pass. But this also turned away ambulances. Siefert disregarded the fierce criticism from life-savers.
Now, the life-threatening traffic island is the subject of rage among Frankfurt city politicians. Frank Nagel (57), the CDU's transportation policy spokesperson and city council member, remarks, "The traffic island doesn't improve bike safety; instead, it endangers cyclists."
Nathaniel Ritter (26, FDP), a city councillor and vice-chairman of the parliamentary group, adds, "The traffic island completely severs car traffic from one direction while creating harmful conditions and significant stress and bewilderment from the other."
The construction of the traffic island is set to begin in early May.
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Source: symclub.org
