Baden-Württemberg is a nationwide pioneer in the implementation of high-speed cycling projects. Since 2016, feasibility studies have been conducted in the country for 60 routes with just over 1.100 kilometers of total length feasibility studies developed. The bicycle has arrived in the country as a climate-friendly means of transport.
"16 of 24 federally funded high-speed cycling projects are from Baden-Württemberg. That makes us the clear leader nationwide. Nowhere else in Germany are these projects tackled with such ambition and determination. Cycle lanes are an excellent means of driving the traffic turnaround towards climate-neutral mobility. Because throughout the state, bicycle use is on the rise. Of course, this also increases the need for a well-developed, seamless and safe cycling infrastructure. And especially with regard to the most important commuter routes, cycle fast lanes have an enormous potential. Cycling has become more than just a leisure activity in Baden-Württemberg," said Minister President Winfried Kretschmann on Tuesday, 13. July 2021, in Stuttgart. The positive balance also applies to other cycling projects: In the federal program "Stadt. Land", Baden-Württemberg has already exhausted its state quota for the next few years of around 70 million euros after only six months.
On Tuesday, Transport Minister Winfried Hermann reported to the state cabinet on the development of cycle lanes and municipal cycling infrastructure. He said: "The huge interest among municipalities, counties and regions in well-developed and largely intersection-free connections for everyday cyclists shows that the bicycle has arrived on the scene as a climate-friendly means of transport. Switching to bicycles is also a good way to escape traffic jams during rush hours and avoid traffic jams. Like other infrastructure projects, the construction of cycle paths takes several years from the initial idea to implementation."
In May 2019, with funding from the state, the first high-speed cycle route in Baden-Württemberg was completed on the section between Böblingen/Sindelfingen and Stuttgart. In 2020, the realization of the second section between Böblingen and Ehningen followed. In the first year after its release, ca. 250.000 cyclists. Cyclists counted. 000 cyclists. Cyclists counted. On 23. June 2021, the construction of a demonstration section of the cycle path in the Filstal valley between Reichenbach and Ebersbach was started. This is to experience the new infrastructure. "We want to realize the 16 projects now in the planning stage in the coming years," said Minister Hermann. "This means that we can build up an efficient and highly attractive cycling infrastructure in Upper Swabia, on the Swiss border, or between Heidelberg and Mannheim, for example."
"Crucial for the further expansion of the bicycle infrastructure is the interaction between the state and the municipalities," Minister Hermann explained further. "The development of the structures in place at the state and the good cooperation with the municipalities have contributed to the strong growth in demand from cities, municipalities and counties for support for cycling infrastructure."For example, within three years of program inclusion under the State Local Government Financing Act (LGVFG), funding in the area of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure (RuF) has been quadrupled from 18 million euros in 2018 to 72 million euros in 2021.
A total of more than 500 measures with a total investment volume of around 490 million euros have been included in the LGVFG RuF funding program for the years 2021 to 2025. One prerequisite for this increase, as well as for attractive funding conditions, is that the federal government has been providing additional funding for cycling infrastructure since the beginning of 2021 through the "City and Country" program. In total, approximately 70 million euros are available for Baden-Württemberg for cycling infrastructure from the federal program according to the state key until the end of 2023. Recently, the federal government announced, as part of the emergency climate protection program, that further funds would be made available for the "City and Country" program. However, it is foreseeable that these additional means will only suffice for a few more months in Baden-Württemberg. The funds earmarked for Baden-Württemberg from the federal government's separate high-speed cycling program are also expected to be exhausted by the end of the year.