One thing is clear: where in Zellingen the Sanderaustrae, Leinacher Weg and Mhderweg come together, a bus stop could never be approved. After all, the fire department exit is also located there. The road is also narrowed by the old cattle scale. There is no waiting room and hardly a sidewalk on the east side. And yet it feels like a dovecote there every morning when first and second graders get on the bus to the Retzbach elementary school and commuters get on the bus to Wrzburg and there are also cars on the move.
If there is no stop, the bus has to stop there on the street, children have to get on the bus on the street and cars from Mhderweg cannot enter Leinacher Weg during this time. Everyone in Zellingen agrees on an untenable, dangerous state of affairs. And yet it has existed for twelve years. The new mayor, Stefan Wohlfart, is now trying to find a solution, but the tight timing of the bus timetables makes the undertaking more difficult.
Why the dangerous emergency solution has been in existence for twelve years
“The emergency solution has existed since a street renovation twelve years ago. At that time, the bus companies had to take a detour and found that they were 90 seconds faster,” says Mayor Stefan Wohlfart. “That’s why they kept that.” In addition, today’s longer buses are no longer able to turn left at the Zellinger Gate Tower from Billingshuser Strasse into Wrzburger Strasse. If that were possible, the schoolchildren could get on at the regular stop in front of the town hall on Wrzburger Strasse.
Instead, the buses go straight through the gate, then left through the very narrow Maistrae and left again into Sanderaustrae. After the children get on at the point mentioned, the bus turns right onto Wrzburger Strasse. The school bus from Zellingen to the Retzbach elementary school is provided and paid for by the municipality. “In the long run we cannot leave it as it is,” says Wohlfart.
Monika Mtzel, who is responsible for the PNV in the district office, took a look at the situation on site. She does not answer whether the emergency stop meets the requirements. “It’s the lived practice. The residents are familiar with the situation,” she says. Basically, three bus routes are affected by a possible change. Because of the tight schedule, it is “not easy to find a solution”. Mtzel says: “I discussed alternatives with the mayor.”
Mayor’s proposal rejected
Wohlfart’s suggestion reads: “The buses could drive straight through the gate to the roundabout on Billingshuser Straße. After you have bypassed the roundabout, they could come back, go to the Billingshuser Straße bus stop, which is currently unordered, and turn right down into Wrzburger Straße The schoolchildren could then get on at the proper, covered bus stop in front of the town hall. ” Monika Mtzel does not consider this proposal to be feasible. The traffic in Billingshuser Strasse is too dense to drive up and down, the loss of time too great.
Mtzel says: “We probably can’t keep all of the stops.” However, the mayor does not want to give up the ‘Vorstadt’ stop, which could be waived, especially since a new building area is currently being built near it. And he doesn’t think much of the idea of letting the schoolchildren get on at Billingshuser Strasse. “That would be quite a long way from the town center and the bus stop there isn’t covered either. Do we want to keep the schoolchildren waiting in the rain?”
Further discussions are therefore necessary between the coordination office in the district office, the bus company and the municipality. At least there is now movement in the matter.
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