Salzburg is now pedaling properly
The expansion plans in the city area
In the “Radweg an der Innsbrucker Bundesstrasse” project in Maxglan, the back and forth of official reports and responsibilities is reminiscent of a ping-pong game. “It’s a country road. We need good cooperation,” emphasizes Berthold. A mixed walking and cycling path is coming. According to Berthold, there is not enough space for a structural separation. No one can give an exact date for implementation.
Planning is also in full swing for the expansion in the Liefering district and the “Saalachtsteg” project on the border with Bavaria. A bridge company must be established for later conservation measures. At the Schwabenwirtsbrücke, good advice for bikes is expensive: Berthold suggests giving up space for motorized traffic.
Bike parking as a challenge
And then there’s the dilemma of parking: where to go by bike? That’s what active commuters ask themselves. So there are still signs saying “No parking allowed”. Covered bike racks that are protected from the rain are not permitted in the protection zone of the monument protection. However, the parking spaces are generally being expanded: For example on Hanuschplatz and Kajetanerplatz or in the Platzl area in Linzergasse, where the bike racks are constantly overloaded. Future long-term parkers should be taboo there and only day parkers should chain their bikes. How can this be implemented? “A pilot test,” Berthold remains vague. For commuters, lockable bike boxes are increasingly being positioned at bus and train stops.
And there are also optical requirements: A start-up company designed a uniform wheel bracket for the old town. The first ones were installed and more were ordered. Berthold: “They blend in well with the cityscape, are practical for chaining and also for street cleaning.”
What remains is the wish for sunshine for Salzburg as a cycling city. Nobody wants to talk about the drizzle anymore. The city councilor also relies on a climate-friendly, fair-weather mood in city politics.