Cycling: focus on expanding the main axes

The Bicycle City of the Future plan is being further developed. In future, the focus will be on the main cycle routes that connect central city districts, residential and working areas as well as educational institutions and neighboring municipalities. This was decided by Erlangen City Council at its most recent meeting.

Erlangen has enjoyed a reputation as a cycling city since the 1970s. Today, the promotion of cycling is more relevant than ever: it is a key element for climate-neutral mobility, the traffic turnaround and thus the climate transition. The Bicycle City of the Future Plan adopted in 2021 supports this goal. It bundles measures that

• improve the cycling infrastructure and
• significantly increase the cycling mode share

cycling share. It has resulted in the implementation of projects such as

• the one-way street clearance in Friedrichstraße
• the environmental lanes for cycle and bus traffic on the Europakanal
• the expansion of the cargo bike fleet and
• the VAG_Rad bicycle rental system.

The 1,000 bike racks program is being implemented step by step.

Targeted further development of cycle traffic

"After three and a half years of implementation, however, it has become clear that the expansion and conversion of the cycle path network needs to be prioritized and specified," explains planning and construction officer Harald Lang. The administration has determined that the large number of individual projects and the high coordination effort exceed the available capacities. In view of limited capacities and tight budgets, it is therefore necessary to prioritize the measures in the future plan. "This is where the new axis concept comes in and provides a clear structure for the targeted further development of cycling," explains Lang.

The axis concept defines central main routes for cycling that connect important residential, work and educational locations. Central axes run, for example

• from the city center to the Siemens Campus
• from Südstadt to the Röthelheimpark
• from the city west to the city center.

Noticeable improvement for bicycle traffic

The aim is to expand existing routes into continuous cycle connections. This will create short and direct connections. The high structural quality of these axes is intended to increase both comfort and safety for cyclists. The priority cycle routes extend over a length of around 50 kilometers through the city. In addition to the projects already underway

• Erlangen-Nuremberg high-speed cycle link
• Erlangen-Herzogenaurach high-speed cycle link
• Bamberg-Nuremberg metropolitan cycle path

are to be promoted across the entire urban area. The focus here is on so-called value-added projects. These are projects that require a great deal of planning and coordination, but which are accompanied by a clear and noticeable improvement for cycling. They promote modal shift. High priority is also given to cycle path markings and the creation of cycle lanes. "These are comparatively quick and inexpensive measures that make cycle priority routes more tangible in the truest sense of the word," explains Lang.

Implementing measures to promote cycling quickly and effectively

Measures that lie outside of the defined axes and whose processing has not yet begun will be postponed for the time being. However, these will remain part of the plan in the long term so as not to jeopardize network integrity and road safety. "With this axis concept, we are creating the basis for more attractive and safer cycling in Erlangen. We are setting priorities so that the most urgent measures to promote cycling can be implemented quickly and effectively," continued Lang.

In view of the difficult budget situation, the city's options are limited. However, important measures are also planned for 2025, such as the improvement of the cycle path infrastructure along Gebbertstraße as part of the road surface renewal and the construction of a crossing aid in the area of the Hofmann-Straße cycle axis.