The bicycle expressway projects at a glance. Photo: regional association
HIGH TAUNUS / REGION (red). Last year, the Regionalverband FrankfurtRheinMain caused a sensation with its cycle path offensive in the region: Nine cycle highways are planned to run through the FrankfurtRheinMain region in the future. The regional association wants to initiate feasibility studies with the profitable municipalities and counties and then take responsibility for the implementation, because “feasibility studies cannot be used for cycling”, as the first deputy and mobility director Rouven Kötter (SPD) often emphasizes.
The corona crisis naturally presented this ambitious project with challenges. The association therefore wants to present its progress in a very transparent manner: “From now on, there is an overview of all projects on our homepage, which shows the current status and the upcoming steps. There is also some basic information on the individual cycle routes and explanations of the work steps. All Interested parties can see at a glance how their dream projects are progressing, “explains Kötter. The overview is designed in the style of a fun fair race and shows immediately how far the individual projects in planning and implementation have already progressed. One learns, for example, that the pioneering project, the FRM 1 cycle expressway from Darmstadt to Frankfurt, is, as expected, the most advanced. The regional association presented the feasibility study here in 2015, and the first construction phase between Egelsbach and Darmstadt-Erzhausen has now been opened under the leadership of Regionalpark RheinMain Südwest gGmbH and the dedicated work of Kelsterbach Mayor Manfred Ockel (SPD). Further sections are in the works.
The FRM 7 (Hanau – Frankfurt north Main) and FRM 5 (Vordertaunus – Frankfurt) projects are not quite there yet. But here the feasibility studies are already available (FRM 7) or have been announced for this summer (FRM 5). The regional association and its new employee Tom Ebberink then want to implement the project together with the municipalities. “With Mr. Ebberink we were able to win over a bicycle enthusiast from the region for this exciting task,” said Kötter. “He will work with the regional cycling officer Antje Quitta on the implementation of the projects. We don’t want to spend our energy on the drawer, but rather improve the infrastructure for cyclists in the region sustainably.”
Declarations of intent have already been signed with all project partners for the two cycle routes that affect the Offenbach district (FRM 8 and FRM 9). The next step is to commission two feasibility studies. The aim is to connect the Offenbach district with a cross connection from Seligenstadt to Frankfurt Airport (FRM 9) and to connect the cities of Hanau, Mühlheim, Offenbach and Frankfurt (FRM 8) in the south of the Main.
A special feature is the FRM 2, which is to run from Groß-Gerau to Frankfurt Airport. Here the Groß-Gerau district takes over the project coordination and the regional association works as a project partner. “Ultimately, it is not important to us who is responsible for the project. The main thing is that we make progress and create sustainable offers for cyclists,” said Mobility Director Kötter on the particular constellation. “I would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank all cities, municipalities and districts who support our ambitious project in a constructive and cooperative manner.”
The State of Hesse sees great opportunities for the FRM 3 from Wiesbaden to Frankfurt in its potential analysis. This is the starting point for a cooperation project between the association and the municipalities. The same applies to the FRM 6 across the Wetterau from Butzbach to Frankfurt and the FRM 4, which is to be a feeder to the FRM 5 (Vordertaunus) from Bad Soden in the Taunus. “The corona crisis did not make our work easier,” explains Rouven Kötter. “Municipal budgets are under pressure, and personal meetings and coordination talks have become more difficult. That is why it was important to us to ensure that all projects were presented in a transparent and clear manner at a glance. We want to give the mobility turnaround and an infrastructure for our region Building cyclists that make using them safer, more comfortable and faster. That was before Corona, we are working on that now and we will continue to work on that in the future. ” The plans of the regional association take into account not only the commuters on the “long” routes, but also for everyday and leisure cyclists a lot should improve: While the first package of measures described in the cycle path offensive revolved significantly around cycle highways, this year a second package of measures will be launched to deal with the gaps in the regional cycling routes. These are regional cycle routes that connect towns and cities with one another, but have no potential for a cycle express way. You can find information on the cycle routes and the link to the new overview at: www.region-frankfurt.de/rsw on the website of the regional association.
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