Faster by bike from Nuremberg to LaufThere is now a lot of bike traffic on the B 14 federal highway, the most frequently used commuter route between Nuremberg and Lauf. To prevent bikes and cars from getting in each other's way, a more modern and safer bike lane design is needed. Nuremberg, the municipalities of Lauf, Rückersdorf, Schwaig as well as the State Construction Office and the district of Nuremberg as coordinator have now signed an agreement on joint preliminary planning.
Frank Jülich, head of the traffic planning office of the city of Nuremberg, the mayors Thomas Wittmann from Schwaig, Johannes Ballas from Rückersdorf and Thomas Lang from Lauf, Andreas Eisgruber, head of the Nuremberg State Construction Office, and District Administrator Armin Kroder met at the District Office in Lauf for the signing ceremony. Kroder welcomes this further step to improve the conditions for cyclists. "The better the routes are developed, the higher the motivation to switch from the car to the bike, be it for the way to work or the Sunday excursion. Every car that stops because of this is a gain," says the district administrator.
"The agreement that has now been concluded is a further step towards advancing bicycle traffic in the center of the metropolitan region," says Andreas Eisgruber of the State Building Authority. "The district of Nuremberg, the Nuremberg State Construction Office and the municipalities involved will explore whether and, if so, how the existing bicycle connection between Nuremberg and Lauf can be expanded into a high-speed bicycle connection. Irrespective of this, traffic safety and quality for cyclists should continue to be improved in built-up areas, especially at the conflict points already known today."
Talks about this began in 2019, with the impetus coming from a 2017 feasibility study. After initial skepticism in various communities about the project, all those involved – communities, city and district – are now convinced of the benefits that redesigning the bike route will have: greater safety for cyclists, more manageable traffic situations for cars and pedestrians, and a defusing of accident black spots. "The more people then choose the bike instead of the car to cover the distance, the better for everyone, because bikes are environmentally friendly, quiet and very healthy for those who use them," the signatories believe.
The next step is now to develop ideas for on-site implementation together with planning offices, experts and the participating administrations. A cycle route in the true sense of the word means a four-meter-wide cycle path that is structurally separated from a footpath, which in turn is ideally two and a half meters wide. This is not feasible within most localities, and outside not everywhere. But the studies and planning should show how close you can get to this target on the Nuremberg Run route. Bike lanes or independently guided bike routes off the main road are also conceivable.
The planning for the high-speed bicycle links in the Nuremberg metropolitan area is making progress," says Frank Jülich, head of the city of Nuremberg's transportation planning office. With the route to Lauf, there are now three high-speed cycle links in the greater Nuremberg area in the planning stage. On the Nuremberg – Erlangen/Herzogenaurach lines. Nuremberg – Oberasbach/Zirndorf /Stein is already planned concretely.