In addition to the monthly critical mass, Kassel has seen at least three other bike demonstrations in the past few months. At two demonstrations in May, the participants cycled through the city, to demonstrate against the scrapping bonus planned by the federal government. Am 19. June was the means of transportation for the demonstration - the bicycle - itself a point of reference, because it was demonstrated for the establishment of so-called pop-up bike lanes in Kassel.
These temporary bike strips, which, in view of the corona pandemic, should also ensure the protective measures of physical distance for cyclists, have already been in several German cities like Berlin, Stuttgart and Düsseldorf established. For possible contagion with the corona- Prevent virus in full buses and trains, In many cities, more and more people have switched to cycling as a means of transport. On the existing (often tight) As a result, wheel lanes became narrow. For the pop-up lanes, a car lane is physically delimited from the rest of the lane area, thus creating a wide bicycle lane for a short time.
The alliance, which had called for the demonstration, consists of scarce 20 Kassel organizations and initiatives from the fields of the environment, traffic, sports, Culture and gastronomy. They organized stations at twelve locations in the city, which could be approached every hour and offered various promotions.
So the goal was, Cycling through the city for twelve hours and demonstrating for a bicycle-friendly traffic policy. On a city map, which was transported on a cargo bike during the demo, had the alliance 22 Kilometers of possible pop-up lanes marked, that could temporarily make cycling in Kassel safer and more pleasant.
On Wilhelmshöher Allee near the “Kirchweg” tram stop, cyclists were able to test one of the pop-up lanes for three hours. There, the 'Radentscheid Kassel' initiative had an approx. 20 meter-long red carpet rolled out and the traffic police secured the strip.
Barbara Beckmann, Spokeswoman for the Radentscheid explained, you could see, that such a bike path “jerk, “is set up. But despite the urgency of the corona pandemic, the city of Kassel continues to shut itself off from this transport policy option. According to the HNA, the city's traffic director Dirk Stochla argues (SPD), he fears, the pop-up lanes would reduce citizens' acceptance of the traffic turnaround. In addition, there is an urgency because of increasing numbers of cyclists, as claimed by the Radentscheid, not given.
Regardless of the question, who then with regard to the increasing or constant numbers of cyclists through the Corona- Pandemic is right, there is another argument for the temporary wheel strips in the room: The city of Kassel has committed, said Beckmann, to 2030 to be climate neutral. But the city's previous transport policy shows little ambition in this regard.
On the question, the relationship between the demand for temporary bike lanes and the demand for a long-term and bike-friendly traffic policy, Beckmann replies: One has to understand pop-up lanes as a traffic attempt, to "lure people onto the bike", because it makes cycling in the city safer. However, this is not a substitute for a long-term climate-friendly transport policy, for which you are still committed.
The cycling decision rates the campaign as a success. That. 250 Cyclists would have used the pop-up lane in larger groups or alone. The party affected outsiders- Mood between cars and trams on the big intersection, with which every new cyclist was greeted, a little strange at first - maybe also, because cycling in Kassel is rarely a reason to be happy. But it was very contagious and culminated in the arrival of the 12-hour bike demonstration. This reached against 18.30 The Kirchweg and the approx. 120 Cyclists drove across the red carpet, before they set off for the next stop on Holländischer Platz.
The cyclists' dissatisfaction with Kassel's traffic policy was visible in various places in Kassel, and at the same time cyclists took the space on this day, who is entitled to them. Given the city's denial, pursue a serious bicycle policy, it borders on cynicism, that the city of Kassel advertises on its website: “Experience your city by bike. You are doing something for your health and at the same time making a valuable contribution to the environment. ”